Eventide
by Kiari Ferrari
Summary: A year has passed since the short reign of Trigon. Raven has been experiencing some bizarre changes in her feelings and thoughts, and to make matters more bizarre, Slade is back, and his purpose for Raven has changed. Will Robin be able to protect her?
1. Chapter 1: Green Eggs

Do not own TT. Enjoy

Chapter 1: Green Eggs

A full moon shone down on the constant ocean, sparkling at the tip of every wave. The cold water brushed against the numerous boulders surrounding the tower and lapped softly against the ankles of Raven. The dark bird stood motionless looking out towards Jump City. Its lights creating a halo in the starless sky. She frowned slightly. Why can't people go to sleep at a decent hour and let the night be night in all its beauty. However, she was the one not in bed and she was sure it was past midnight. Raven's amethyst eyes roamed the open sea.

Why does there have to be danger? Why does there have to be death? Why does there have to be suffering? People take so much for granted... they have no idea...

Her thoughts lead her back to the last year where her friends and team members saved her from a certain death and the destruction of earth against her terrible father, Trigon. They believed in her... they never gave up... Especially Robin. Raven smiled inwardly at the memory of Robin coming to her rescue. Normally, the thought of being helpless bugged her but at the time she needed it, and she knew it. That wasn't often.

Her birthday was tomorrow. She would be 18. Like the U.S., Azarath noticed the 18th year as a milestone. It wasn't the biggest but it was sure important. She dreaded what her friends were scheming, and she didn't even want to think about what Beast Boy would do. Parties weren't her thing, obviously, and neither was pin-the-tail on Beastboy's behind. A yawn surprised the young girl. Getting good rest was a big thing for Robin, he always wanted his teammates prepared and healthy for anything at any given time. Criminals never sleep much to Raven's dismay. Taking one last look towards the ocean she said her last thoughts and disappeared from view.

"RAVEN! Raven wakey wakey I made eggs and panckeys!" Beastboy's excited voice penetrated the sleeping girl's ears. The dream she was having was suddenly lost and reality came rushing back. It wasn't welcomed. _How much damage can I do to him with my pillow..._

"RA-" The door flew open revealing a very annoyed Raven, and almost causing Beastboy to lose his balance. Before he could say anything else she interjected quite fiercely, "Go. Away." Beastboy only smiled his goofy smile and conjured up a hot steamy plate of eggs and pancakes. He could never get the hint the first time.

"I thought you might want a nice breakfast. Cyborg and I made it. Don't you wanna try it?" He was of course talking about the eggs because they were an unusual green color. Raven raised an annoyed eyebrow.

"It's green."

"They're special eggs! Don't ask what's in 'em because I can't remember anyways. Try 'em! Please Raven? Pleeeeeeeeeeease?"

She sighed. The urge to say no was tempting but the food smelled too good, and as if on cue her stomach growled.

"Fine. But no eggs." Beastboy's face dropped but quickly recovered, just glad that she didn't say no this time. He smiled wide and left for the kitchen where she can now here the rest of the team. She began to walk towards the door but stopped suddenly when she heard his voice. His voice... the voice that called her name so many times... the voice that followed her to Hell and back... the voice that held so much concern for her... that made her stomach tie up in knots now. The feeling was bizarre, unlike anything she ever felt, even with Rorek/Malchior. _Azarath Metrion Zinthos... Breathe... Go. _

The door zipped open to reveal a scene that almost replayed itself every morning. Cyborg busy in the kitchen humming and wearing that ridiculously oversized chef's hat, Beastboy trying to help him causing mayhem and mortal destruction, Starfire floating around either making an alien treat or trying to get Robin's attention, and Robin... always sitting at the counter drinking his usual cup of black coffee, reading the newspaper, and ignoring Cyborg's and Beastboy's constant arguing. Mentally slapping herself for staring a bit too long at Robin's back, she made her way quickly to the stove to make her morning tea. It seemed Beastboy accidentally dropped every single plate full of food and nothing was left in the pantry to make. She could've sworn Cryborg's hat was steaming.

"Awwww man! There's nothing here to make! This is all your fault Beastboy. That's the last time i'm letting you help me in the kitchen."

Beastboy's eyes got big and he began shouting. Raven chuckled to herself. Thus a new day begins.

"Goodmorning Raven." Raven almost dropped her cup. The question came from Robin and when she turned around to answer he was staring at her with soft concerned eyes and a slight smile. Her favorite look.

"Morning." She mumbled.

"Did you sleep okay?" She began to answer 'yes' but something about the way he was smiling, that all-knowing smile, made her believe he already had an answer. Maybe he saw her standing by the ocean last night. She had just come up with an answer before the alarm rang. Everyone was business now.

The team huddled around the center of the room in front of the big screen and what they say made them gasp.

"Goodmorning Titans. Thought I would start out your day by causing a bit of mayhem in the city. It's been so long, our routine has been off track. But I'm sure we'll find it easy to get back into it, don't you think?" Slade's dark voice slithered through their ears like a serpent from Hell. Robin's fists clenched and his masked eyes narrowed dangerously. After the defeat of Trigon, Slade disappeared and they hadn't found any trace of him for months. It is odd that he just now shows up.

"Slade." Robin growled.

"Robin, how nice to see you again. You're looking quite healthy but I'm sure you're skills have weakened due to my unfortunate absence." They hated how he toyed with them. Raven wanted to hold back but this guy had caused too much suffering for them, so before she could think she spat, "What do you want Slade? Come back for another miserable beating have you? We've had more than enough of your games. I beat you once, I won't hesitate to unleash everything I have to defeat you again." The team stared at her unsure of what to make of this sudden rare outburst. Raven continued to only glare at the screen. A lamp suddenly exploded when she heard Slade laugh.

"Raven. How are you? Last time I saw you, you were careening towards Hell as a helpless little girl. Was daddy not there to save you? Oh, that's right. Daddy destroyed the world. Job well done, Raven my dear." She snapped. Her hands began to glow with her aura and her eyes turned white as she lifted off the ground a few feet and flew closer to the screen.

"Raven!" Robin gasped.

"Where are you! Come and face me now and we can deal with this in a real manner. Or are you too scared? The last time I saw you, you were a little helpless puppet for my father and was stupid enough to believe he would grant you what you wanted. You were dealing with Hell. You're pathetic." The venom in Raven's voice stung and stung hard. It showed on Slade's face. He spoke three words and the screen went dead.

Starfire was the first to speak. "The Jump City Bank? He is going to rob it?" That was obvious but they knew Slade, and Slade never did anything without a reason behind it and most of the time it was very unexpected. That is why he is their greatest enemy. Raven composed herself and touched ground again. Robin attempted to say something, "Raven... are you-"

"Let's Go."


	2. Chapter 2: Another Side

Chapter 2: Another Side

_What in the world was I thinking lashing out at Slade like that? Sure he deserves it, but that's not me. Did they notice?_

Raven flew silently behind the rest of her teammates. None of them had said a word to her, and honestly, she kind of preferred they not ask questions. No, it was not normal for Raven to give such an outburst, it was completely out of character. However, things weren't how they use to be. Over the course of the last year she has been having new urges, new feelings, new desires. Solitude is what she normally liked, but lately she has been craving the company of her friends to a point where her dark sanctuary of a room is no longer holding all the comfort. Neither has she been the affectionate type, but now the desire to physically feel someone else's love and support was almost too much to bear. Something was truly wrong with her, and she wasn't ill. She already checked.

Then Jump City Bank came into sight. Raven's train of thought came to a halt. When they landed, prepared to fight, all was quite normal. Odd. No one seemed to be aware that danger was among them, or was it all just another trick from Slade?

"Dude, aren't these people suppose to be running around screaming their heads off?" Beastboy questioned. Each of them had the same quizzical look. "Where's Slade?"

Cyborg assembled his cannon aiming it all around them. "I don't like this. Something's up, I can feel it." Robin gritted his teeth.

"Then why is he hiding!" Too perfectly on cue a blast from the bank erupted into a huge ball of fire sending chunks of concrete and objects into the air at high velocities. Then came the screams.

"Titans! Go!" They raced towards the disaster area where black smoke began to envelope the streets and surrounding buildings. Temporarily stopped in their tracks to see through the smoke, a dark figure appeared.

"Ah, Titans, just in time. I was afraid you weren't going to show." He said in his usual sarcastic tone. Robin pulled out his bo-staff (sp) and moved into a crouching position.

"What are you after Slade?"

"Oh nothing of importance to you, Robin. You'll just have to wait to find out."

"Enough!" Cyborg yelled. "Robin, Go!" Robin flung himself towards Slade, staff extended to be met by a metal rod. He swung and missed by a few inches and barely flipped out of the way of Slade's weapon. Then came a thundering green tyrannosaurus rex, mouth opened wide ready to devour, but Slade easily moved out of the way, only for Beastboy to crash into a large piece of concrete. Starfire moved stealthily through the air throwing as many starbolts as she could with almost perfect accuracy, and yet Slade seemed to surpass these as well. Cyborg's cannons were just as easily dodged. It was now Raven's turn at the bad guy.

_This is getting old._

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" A beam of black energy struck Slade's body, hurtling him back several yards. She was about to do it again when something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye. When she turned to look, a young girl was huddled behind a wrecked car shivering with fear. Raven couldn't ignore her. The team continued their attacks while Raven quickly flew to the girl.

"Are you okay? You shouldn't be here." She noticed the girl must've been no more than 7 years old and was covered from head to toe in scratches and dirt.

"What's your name?" The girl was frightened, no doubt, and Raven figured it would make things worse if she became impatient and rude to her. She barely heard her whisper "Myra." An odd urge to hold the child close to her overcame the cold bird. What is going on with these strange feelings? Raven shook her head and bent down to Myra's height.

"Myra, we need to get you out of here. It's very dange- AH!" A sudden kick to the side sent her tumbling on the asphalt. Slade spun towards the girl picking her up with one arm around her stomach and the other around her neck.

"It seems we are seeing a softer side of Raven these days."


	3. Chapter 3: Myra

(Italics are Raven's thoughts f.y.i)

Chapter 3: Myra

Slade was a monster, that was true, and seeing him holding that poor innocent little girl in his grasp just screamed psycho! Raven jumped to her feet when the rest of the team were at her side. She looked to each one making sure they weren't hurt in any way, but they each had some minor cuts and bruises. _I'll heal them when this is over._

Robin happened to skid to a halt right in front of her holding his weapon and shaking slightly.

"Slade, let the child go. She has nothing to do with any of this!" Slade took a step back, Myra struggling helplessly against his clutch.

"Dude! What is your problem! First you show up after being gone forever, you blow up a bank, and now you're holding a kid captive?" Beastboy cut in suddenly.

"Yeah man, none of this makes any sense." Cyborg added cautiously.

"Maybe he's gone crazy." Beastboy made a twirling motion around his ear and whistled. "Well, crazier than before."

Slade chuckled. "The bank was just a little bit of fun, as it seems, while I was gone you've managed to put almost every dangerous villain behind bars. So, thought I would shake things up a bit for old times sake. And as for the girl, well, you don't have to know about that yet."

Robin took a step forward and narrowed his eyes. "I won't ask you again Slade. Let the girl go! Whatever you're planning, it isn't going to work."

Slade took his time looking at every single Titan in the eye before settling on Raven. She scowled at him ready for whatever he had up his sleeve. They head him sigh.

"Another time, another day. All in good time." Without another word he threw Myra to the side but was caught up in a black aura just before she hit the ground. When they looked back, he was gone.

"Myra! Are you okay?" Raven checked her for new injuries, remember she was already covered in cuts and bruises.

"I'm okay." She sniffed.

"I don't get it." Robin questioned. "Slade comes back after disappearing almost a year ago, he blows up the bank for no reason, holds this child captive and then lets her go? Either Slade has completely gone mad, or he's got something up his sleeve, which i'm assuming he does."

Beastboy clutched his head. "Dude, just thinking about all this makes my head spin."

"Well you aren't the brightest apple in the bunch..." Mumbled Cyborg.

"I heard that!"

"Hold it guys. Now is not the time. Raven, can you heal her injuries now?" The Boy Wonder inquired. Myra looked to Raven questioningly. She nodded and proceeded to unleash the softer side of her dark powers. Never had Myra seen such a thing, had bear witness to such an extraordinary sight, and when there seemed to be nothing more left to heal, she could still feel a tingling sensation throughout her body. A smile spread across her face. "Thank you."

"Myra." Robin came to kneel beside Raven and took the girl's hand in his. He had her full attention.

"Where are you parents? Do you know where you live?" She shook her head.

"Do you know of anyone that you can stay with?" Again, she shook her head. Myra cast her eyes to the ground to whisper a response.

"I... don't have anybody. I've been alone since I can remember... No one wants me." That statement stunned them all. How can anyone not want this innocent sweet little girl?

Starfire walked closer, her head tilted slightly. "Then what are we going to do with her?"

It was a good question. What _were_ they going to do with her? Take her to the police station and have them figure it out? No, that would scare her. Take her to an orphanage? That sounds possible. However, none of the options seemed to lessen the burden on all of them. Myra was now their responsibility, and as Titans, they were bound by duty and protocol. If a situation proposed itself, like the one laid before them now, were to be decided by regular authorities, the child would stand no chance in deciding her own future, ever. This they knew to be true, and was perhaps the biggest reason why they came to an equal agreement on allowing Myra to be their temporary guest. Of course, she agreed to it without hesitation. Now, never has a child, nor anyone outside the realm of super heroes were allowed to be guests at the famous Titan Tower. Actually, it wasn't about being 'allowed' to be a guest, it was more of keeping that person away from villain's eyes, who sought easy targets to hurt the Titans. It was for their own good.

You can imagine the sheer delight on Starfire's face. You can hear the game tournaments and a new grocery list being concocted in the minds of Beastboy and Cyborg. You can feel the tenseness of Robin's muscles as he seeks every corner of his mind to figure out these bizarre tactics of Slade. Raven, well, you couldn't really get much of a read on her. Not that that's surprising. She was watching Myra over her book at the counter, who was sitting in between Cyborg and Beastboy looking from one to the other quite rapidly as they argued over which game to show her first.

_Boys._

"I want to play Maximum Speed II!"

"Well _I _want to play Revenge of the Robots!"

"That's sissy stuff, dude. You need some real action!"

"Nu uh, man, no way! We're playing Revenge of the Robots!"

"What's wrong? Scared I'm gonna beat you bad like last time?"

"Beat me! I kicked your skinny green butt all the way to China last time!"

Starfire unfortunately cut in, in an attempt to bring peace. "Friends, please stop the arguing. Why don't-"

"Psshh. I had you totally whooped tin man!"

"T-tin man?" Cyborg's eye twitched. And a smart Starfire silently scooted away to the far side of the couch.

"THAT'S IT! IT'S ON!"

_And there you have it. The Titan's very own special heroes. They may agree on the battlefield, but when it comes to virtual reality they are just two idiots. _

Raven rolled her eyes, snapped her book shut and left for her room for some 'quiet time.' She was about to enter her room when she remembered Robin, who had disappeared quickly after arriving. It wasn't hard to figure out where the team leader was. Her suspicions were confirmed when she found him in the computer room typing away fiercely at the keyboard.

"You know Robin, we just threw out the old keyboard due to your incessant typing. Would be nice if we kept this one longer than a week." Her presence hadn't even startled him, even though she was always so quiet.

"I just don't understand it." He leaned back in the chair, eyes still glued to the monitor. Raven took a seat close to him, looking at the screen as well. Several tabs were up. "I can't figure it out. There isn't a pattern at all, anywhere. I know Slade is very unpredictable, but most of the time we were able to see past his schemes to know what he was really up to. I'll admit sometimes he just flat out told us, but now nothing makes sense. I've searched and searched for anything, any clues to find out where he was all this time and what he has been up to. But nothing."

"Robin..."

"And this girl, Myra, I can't seem to find her file anywhere."

Raven blinked back a look of surprise. No file? Even orphans had some kind of documentation on their births. Is it possible that the Boy Wonder made a little mistake? No, even_ she_ wasn't foolish enough to doubt Robin.

"Raven, it's like Myra doesn't exist. At all." 


	4. Chapter 4: A Midnight Run

**Sorry it took so long... I was across country for a week. It's extremely late so I didn't feel up to proof reading it but I will try to get to that soon, but for now... just ignore and enjoy :)**

_A Midnight Run_

_Fire. Earthquake. Screams. Lost. Running. Father..._

_There he was, my Father, but how? I defeated him! This can't be earth... what has happened... what have I done? _

_Flames surround me with a roaring intensity that one would expect coming from hell's deepest pit. I must be in hell. I'm standing in a large cave alit only by the fire that seemed to not cast any shadows on the walls. I can see dim flashbacks of the final battle between my friends and I and Trigon scattered along the walls. I subconsciously nicknamed the place, Cave Misery. _

_"Raven." A sharp whisper came from above, seeming to echo against the rocks. A strong gust of wind followed the voice to extinguish the fire, which plummeted the cave into complete darkness. The flashbacks were gone. _

_"Raven." It whispered more softly. I opened my eyes as wide as they could go searching for any source of light. All was quiet. My stomach was twisting in confusion and fear but my body was completely still. My name floated on another gust of wind that at first, lightly wrestled my clothes and then turned into a tremendous force, pushing my body back. And then it stopped. The cave walls around me crumbled and collapsed with surprisingly no noise, like someone pushed the MUTE button. Now, standing before me was my birth place, Azarath. I lifted my body from the ground to float through the barren streets between desolate decaying buildings. I had visited once before when I needed advice or help from my mother but she had been unable to help me, and I deemed the trip a failure. I didn't know why I was here. I just knew if I searched for my mother, she would have the answers. A dove suddenly flew into my face as if I had just startled it, however, I knew nothing lived on Azarath anymore. She was close. _

_"Mother?" I followed a freshly swept walkway that ran in between an overflowing garden of dead leaves, uprooted trees, and dried out fountains. _

_"I am here." Came a soft voice nearby. The walkway slightly curved right to a large stone balcony where a panorama view of the Azarath city took my breath away. My mother was sitting on a stone bench with numerous doves surrounding her. I stopped a short distance away and watched as a dove perched on her shoulder and made itself comfortable. I decided to speak first._

_"Mother... there must be a reason you summoned me here. However, I can't find one plausible enough to constitute this." When her violet eyes reached mine in that soft way she use to look at me when I was very little, I nearly wanted to cry, to just rush into her arms while she told me things would be okay. When she answered me, it was like music. Her voice, melodic and angelic, drifted through the air and seemed to settle in the depths of all my senses. _

_"My sweet little bird, you have come. I have been waiting for you. Please, sit." She motioned for me to take a seat on her right and I did as told. _

_"Raven, things have been changing for you, have they not?" My eyes took on a look of surprise as I thought up an answer, but she continued. _

_"It has been such a long time it seems, since you've been here. I look out over Azarath and pray to the gods to give me a reason to all of this destruction and sorrow, but alas, I've yet to receive one. Perhaps it will never be as it was."_

_"Nothing ever is." I mumbled looking down into my lap. I felt her soft cold hand taking my chin and slowly lifting it to face her. There was that smile again._

_"Sometimes, that is the answer. Azarath will never be the same, but does that mean it should ever go back to the way it was? We were peaceful, yes, but out systems were becoming corrupt. Our people had seen the way humans ran the earth, and sought to follow their principles and practices here. Our laws were diminishing, our systems falling apart, and our people were losing faith. I will always remember Azarath for her beauty, but she was slowly becoming a selfish planet, and I cannot say I'm sorry for it all."_

_"How can you say that? Look at this place, there's no one left! An entire planet was wiped out and you can't be sorry for it?" I didn't mean to turn on her and now I was filled with guilt and shame. After all, she is my mother, dead or alive. I apologized quickly but she only smiled a sad smile. _

_"Azarath is your birth place, not your home. Your heart is on earth, where it should be." She closed her eyes almost seeming like she was going to sleep, but opened them a few moments later. _

_"Why am I here? You couldn't have summoned me to discuss the 'what ifs' and the 'maybes' of Azarath's fate, because look. Her fate was sealed when I was born." I whispered that last sentence because for some reason my voice started to become shaky and I didn't want her to hear my sadness. _

_"Raven. At midnight tomorrow your seventeenth year will come to an end and you will begin to experience a change. It is unlike the change humans go through on earth in their early teen years, but you will find a few parallels. When an Azarathian girl begins her eighteenth year, a series of changes takes over her body mentally and physically. Your powers could become stronger, your hair could grow longer, your eyes could even change color, and in some cases speak a new language. The Change is different for everyone and can be a very minimal change or a very substantial one. You may even experience some pain. But, you should not fear it."_

_"What did you experience?" Raven couldn't help but ask. Arella gazed skyward smirking._

_"My hair turned this purple shade. You have that to thank for your hair color." Raven slightly smiled._

_"I also gained the language of the birds..." Her voice drifted off unexpectedly. She turned her body to Raven, reached her hand out to touch her, hesitated, then put it back in her lap with a confused expression. This slight rejection jolted Raven a bit. _

_"Mother? Are you..."_

_"Oh Raven, I was just... remembering something from long ago." _

_Arella gazed at her daughter with a sad smile and with a little more courage this time, raised her hand to tuck back Raven's hair. _

_"One day, when I was carrying you, I remember it was so close to your arrival, I still had no name to give you. While watching Azarath's city life from my bedroom window, I noticed a raven sailing across the sky and when it caught the glow of the sun... it was perfect." _

_Raven stared utterly shocked to not only hear this story but hear the way her mother sounded. Loving. Warm. Longing. It was so out of place she began to fidget. _

_"I... barely saw you when I was young." _

_"We grew apart, Raven. The priests were so busy with you when you got older, trying to teach you to suppress your powers... It was difficult for me but I had to find a way to deal with it."_

_Raven stood up unable to sit still any longer and went to the wall overlooking the broken city. It was so gray so eerily quiet it sent new shivers down her body. She could sense her mother's eyes on her back but continued to look sadly out to what was her original home._

_"But they're all gone. Everyone. Everything. It's a dead planet that was once overflowing with life... and it's all because of me. Why... why did the priests, why did anyone ever believe I could overcome my destiny?"_

_"But you did, did you not?"_

_Raven faced her finding that she was becoming angry again._

_"It was only because of my friends that I survived, that the earth wasn't destroyed! If it weren't for them I wouldn't be here. It was not of my own doing that I overcame my destiny. Did the priests see that coming? Why am I alive when an entire civilization was annihilated?! How is any of this even remotely fair?!"_

'Ugh... i'm yelling again... what is wrong with me?'

_Arella stood cupping a dove in her hand. Subconsciously, Raven began muttering her mantra to calm herself down. She was quite embarrassed. And then her mother said something. Something that literally knocked the air from her lungs. Slowly, pronouncing every word she said, "Remember this, Raven. You are not the only living Azarathian." _

_Raven's amethyst eyes widened. 'What!' It took her a few minutes to get over this shocking bit of news. 'Is it possible? Could there really be others? But... how? Where?' Her questions were answered outloud._

_"Many of us knew the impending doom of Azarath, as Azar predicted. We came up with an escape plan to get the "necessary people" to a safe place. The only place close enough that would provide safe hiding was Earth. The government people began trickling off the planet towards Earth with their families. Ordinary people were clueless to everything in order to prevent chaos in the cities. However, suspicions arose once people began finding out about the mysterious missings of several important officials and their entire families. So, chaos soon followed without any confirmation whether the apocalypse was true or lie. I escaped with you under protection of the priests and we made our way towards Earth. I was so determined to get you to safety I had left everything behind. But fate reached us before we even made it to the nearest star, and amidst the chaos of thousands of fleeing victims, we were separated. I searched for you so hard... I could feel myself being torn in half... and then I heard a voice in my head. It was one of the priests! He had found you and taken you with him. You were both now flying to Earth, you were going to be safe." _

_She paused only to hold back tears. All the young girl could do was stare amazed at her dead mother. And then the question Arella knew was coming popped into Raven's head._

_"... Why didn't you... make it to earth?" _

_She had to answer. As much as it hurt to revisit those last memories, she had to do it. _

_"I... began to follow... but the screams... there was so much pain and fear. When I looked back at Azarath, I couldn't recognize it... my people were being vaporized by the second. I turned back against the crowds towards my death. Trigon was showing no mercy for Azarath and I knew he wouldn't for me, but in my heart, I had to try. I gathered up every ounce of my power as did the remaining priests calling upon Azar and the dead souls of past priests to give us the power to stop Trigon even if it meant giving up our lives. And by Azar, we subdued him... but by that time it was too late for Azarath and too late for us. You were the last thing I thought of." _

_Well... what do you say after hearing something like that? Nothing. Raven's mind was just busy processing all of this. The holes that had been scattered throughout her memories were now being filled and she was thankful but it also made her extremely restless. She had a hundred new questions already. However, she didn't get a chance to voice one of them when her mother stood up suddenly causing the doves to fly away and disappear. Her face was deadly serious._

_"Our time is up. I must leave now."_

_"Wait, Arella no! I've so much to-"_

_"We'll see each other again." The air around them began to violently rotate. The dust and debris it picked up blocked out the city, the sky, and the dead garden. Arella was beginning to fade. Raven attempted to reach for her._

_"Mother! Wait! "_

_"Goodbye my little Raven." She was now completely gone but the wind remained tight around Raven. The dust became black at the same time that the floor gave way. After a few seconds of free falling, Raven landed hard on her bed which then caused her to be propelled to the floor with a loud thud. _

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! That irritated red emergency light flashed on and off throughout Titan's Tower and Raven groaned. Her door was suddenly opened with Robin standing in the way. She untangled herself quickly from the bed sheet that went down with her in her unfortunate landing.

"Raven what happened?" He obviously heard her hit the floor.

"No time. There's trouble." 


	5. Chapter 5: Pieces

**I apologize for taking so long. Writer's block. It sucks. By the way, I do not own Teen Titans. Enjoy :)**

Chapter 5: Pieces

It turned out to be a false alarm, just some old lady who lost her dog (which happened to be in the dog house and she was too lazy to look). When the team returned home it took every ounce of strength to drag themselves to bed. A rain storm was coming in.

It was not to sunshine that Raven awoke, as the other Titans believed annoyed her, but from a storm trying to break in through her enormous windows. Shaking off the memories of last night and rubbing out the remnants of sleep in her eyes, she crossed the distance to her window pulling back the thick curtains to reveal and blurry gray blob representing the ocean and seaside city. Of course there would be rain after such a night. The clock on the night stand blinked 9:43am. _Later than usual. No one should notice. _Raven couldn't dispel the dread of being stuck inside the tower all day with the rest of the Titans, knowing the weather turned activities to video games, eating, and... more video games. Quickly donning her cloak and closing the curtains in disgust, she cursed the sun for failing to show up when, for once, she needed it.

"BOO-YAH! I beat you once again small fry!" Boomed Cyborg's voice in apparent victory over _Robo Speed Extreme II. _Beastboy's mouth dropped to the floor and pointed an accusing finger at the robot who was in the middle of a victory dance.

"Dude, you cheated!" Cyborg didn't falter in what he called his best Michael Jackson move. He sent a devilish smile at the changeling.

"You're just mad 'cuz you have to do dishes for a week now! Whose da champion? Say it Beastboy, say it."

Beastboy narrowed his small eyes and through gritted teeth said, "Rematch. Double or nothing."

"You're on! Just don't expect me to dry when you're stuck doing two weeks of dishes."

"And if Beastboy doesn't do them right, i'll add an extra week." Added Robin who was sitting motionless at the counter hidden behind a newspaper.

Beastboy spun around and just opened his mouth to retort when Robin spoke again and as the last member of the Titans walked through the sliding door.

"You're not making a very good impression on Myra. Besides, isn't it her turn to play?"

Raven watched slightly amused at Beastboy's expression and his reluctancy to give up the game, but slowly did so with a pained smile. Up until this point, Raven had almost completely forgotten about Myra and turned towards her. Suddenly her body froze. Her heart jumped into her throat. Her eyes widened. Every part of her brain screamed in disbelief. Her momentary stillness atop the small set of stairs alerted Robin and he inclined his head to see what was wrong. Her face caused Robin to set down the newspaper and stand up, for it was stuck in shock, eyes wide and lips slightly parted (a look that passed over Raven every Haley's comet). However, she realized her mistake and became reclusive once again.

"Raven? Uh... everything alright?" Why did he have to act so concerned? But Raven couldn't ignore what she was seeing. With big cerulean eyes, so-black-it's-almost-purple hair going half way down her back, creamy skin, and with pale lips locked in an innocent smile... Myra looked dangerously familiar. In every curve of her face, in every curl of her fingers, in every strand of hair, Raven saw herself along with something she couldn't quite place at the moment. She knows those eyes, she recognizes that smile... they belong to someone she knows but... _'Ugh why can't I think of it.' _

"Raven?" The pale lips spoke.

"Hey, Myra, you just lost I thought you wanted to play." Beastboy remarked. She turned giving, more like shoving, the game controller into his hands responding, "I don't want to play anymore, I have to do something." She turned to Raven making eye contact, smiling.

"I want to say thank you, Raven. For saving me. And... thank you for letting me have a safe place to stay until... well... I don't know." She was in front of Raven now, careful not to get too close, sensing a thick barrier. The smile never faltered however. If it wasn't the innocent smile making Raven nervous, it was the intense gaze of 4 pairs of eyes waiting for her reaction.

_'What do they think, I'm going to throw her out the window?' _

"Uh... you're welcome." Short, but it was enough. Myra's smile, which was quickly becoming annoying, widened as she reached out her arms and collided with Raven's waist. Barrier or no barrier, guess it didn't matter much to the little girl.

"You can let go of me now." Raven said. No movement. "I just want to go make some tea." Myra let go, finally, and proceeded to return to the game she abandoned while Raven glided over to the stove to prepare her favorite herbal tea.

"That was sure sweet of Myra, don't you think?" Robin spoke up setting his newspaper down.

"Sure."

"From what she's been through I'm impressed with how she's handling it. Kind of like someone I know..." Why was Robin trying to start a conversation now? Everyone knew not to bother her in the morning, and why about the girl? When she glanced up she noticed a smile, only to quickly look away to diffuse a blush.

"I can't help but think, though..." He continued. "She looks strangely familiar... "

"Like you've seen her before."

"Yeah... and the feeling I get is-"

"Like you should know her." Raven finished, turning around with her steaming cup. Robin frowned.

"I can't understand why Slade would put any attention on a child, and he let her go so easily. It's as if he wanted us to take her."

"Robin, are you suggesting Slade turned that 8 year old girl into a criminal with the intent of taking down the Titans?" Even he had to chuckled at that, the idea was pretty ridiculous.

"Well... what should we do with her?" He questioned more to himself than anyone. Never have the Titans been in such an awkward predicament of handling a child. Apart from some individual small missions of escorting exceptional children, they were still not prepared for a task like this. Honestly, they were scared. Afraid of failing as protectors, afraid of letting a most-wanted man get away with his deeds, afraid of letting an innocent being in to their circle of undisclosed danger. What could they do? Raven pulled a chair next to the boy wonder whose face was still contorted with confusion.

"Hmm... she needs to be questioned... I didn't want to do it right away to scare her, but now is a good time. And I want you to be there." Raven literally choked on her tea and cursed herself for doing so. The last sentence seemed to have had more emotion in it than the rest... unless she just imagined it. Robin did questioning alone, it was definitely not in Raven's field of expertise, more so because she frightened them.

"No." She declined. He slightly flinched at her response and tried again.

"Raven, you were the one who found and protected her. She's been asking for you all morning and I don't know if you noticed, but you were the only one she gave a hug to. And Raven, you don't do hugs. In fact, the last hug you gave was probably to me almost this time last year."

_'Did he have to bring that up?'_

_"_The point is... she seems comfortable around you. So Raven... please?"

Those pleading eyes, that soft voice, the memory of holding him...

"AHH!" Raven jumped back as pieces of her cup exploded all over the kitchen.

"Raven! Are you okay?" Robin asked brushing off a piece of porcelain from his shoulder. The others immediately turned to the commotion.

"I... it was an accident."

Starfire walked over glancing at the bits and pieces of what use to be a mug all over the floor and asked," Raven, what has caused you to blow up this cup?"

"Yeah," chimed in Beastboy. "She never let's go of her powers, unlike that one time with Doctor Light... oh and Trigon... oh and- !"

"We get it Beastboy, now shut up. She probably just sneezed." At this both Cyborg and Beastboy cracked up consequentially receiving a glare from Robin.

"Raven... are you sure you're okay?" He was looking at her worriedly, hoping she would let him in. She was just staring at her hands... trying to find a solution...

_'"At midnight tomorrow your seventeenth year will come to an end and you will begin to experience a change..."'_

_'Mom... it was so sudden... is this what you were talking about?'_

"Ra-" BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

That annoying flashing red light flooded the entire room in rhythm to the ear-splitting alarm. Raven's heart jumped.

_'No not him!'_

The team, except her, ran to the center of the room to be met by an image of downtown Jump City engulfed in smoke, and upon zooming in, the perpetrators were spotted as the H.I.V.E. members. Each breathed a sigh a relief. It wasn't Slade... at least, not today.

"Titans! Go!"

"Uh... wait what about Myra? We can't just leave her here alone can we?"

They skidded to a halt just before the door. Robin turned looking from Myra to Raven.

'_Wow' _ Raven thought. '_An intelligent question. Good job Beastboy.'_

"Beastboy's right, we can't leave her here alone. Raven I want you to take care of her, to keep her out of harm's way."

"But Rob-"

"We'll be able to handle the H.I.V.E. don't worry. Titans GO!" They were gone before Raven could come up with a retort. She never missed out on a fight, she wanted to be there for them, if something happened she was the only one who could heal them. Raven felt left out.

"So what do we do now?" Questioned Myra. Raven gazed out towards the city, praying her friends would be alright.

"We wait."


	6. Chapter 6: To Receive

**I sincerely apologize for the looooong wait. I've been procrastinating bad and went to the east coast, and moved, and am planning a wedding so i've been a bit busy but i'm sorry! I'm currently working on the other chapter so I promise you will get it soon. For some reason this one was hard to write but I hope you like it. **

Chapter 6: To Receive

"4...3...2...1... Ready or not... uh... here I come." _Why am I doing this again?_

The Titan's control room contained no other sound than that of Raven's soft voice. Unfortunately, having given in to a little girl's plea of 'let's do something,' she could not enjoy the rare quietness from the absence of the team. She's glad she said a little prayer before they left because worry was gnawing at her side in spite of her confidence in them. The clock made it clear that only 15 minutes had passed.

"Where oh where could Myra be." Raven sang in a flat monotone that plainly said _"what the hell am I thinking, I'm a Teen Titan not a babysitter." _ The corridor that stretched the length of the tower sported blotches of darkness ever-changing with the heavy clouds outside as Raven's quest led her to the nearest closet.

"Hmm, I wonder where she could be. Come out come out wherever you are." _'If I ever meet the person who thought up this ridiculous game, I'm going to send them to Nevermore with no hope of escaping. Ever.' _

When she opened the door the closet was surprisingly empty. Just some old manuals, CDs, a few dusty boxes, and an umbrella held up the tiny space. Raven was already tired of the game and resolved to just sensing Myra to get it over with. It's not cheating... technically... The child's aura wasn't too far, in fact it was just down the hall and around the corner to- _CRAP!_ The door to Raven's room was closed but she could hear the shuffling of feet from the other side and with a little too much force, opened it to find Myra handling some of her old books.

"How did you get in here!"

The girl's sapphire eyes widened in fear. The hand that had been holding a page shakily moved to close the book and pushed it away carefully.

"I- I was just... looking. When I was searching for a place to hide I saw your name over the doorway and I guess I just wanted to see what your room was like. You have a lot of cool stuff in here." Curiosity replaced fear, which wasn't something someone felt when they entered Raven's funereal room. A normal child's senses would have told them to stay away from it, but Raven was soon realizing that this girl was more than first assumed.

"Myra, my room is off-limits. It is not for little kids like you, my friends don't even come in here." _'except Robin.... he's not afraid...'_

"But Raven, I'm not scared. Okay, at first it was a little creepy but I just... I don't know... started to like it. It's very you. And I couldn't help but see some of your books, I love reading!" Myra was becoming increasingly excited much to Raven's bewilderment.

"Raven what's Azarath?" The question caught her off guard, and then noticed that her book was opened again.

"It's where I was born."

"Is that in Asia? Or Europe? I've never heard of it." Raven walked over with a heavy sigh, took the book, and placed it back on the bookshelf.

"It's not on Earth. Or... anywhere near it."

"So it's in another dimension? A parallel universe?" Raven blinked. She was sure no child of only eight knew of parallel universes or different dimensions.

"You could... say that."

"Awesome."

"Myra..." Soo many questions were now buzzing in Raven's head. _'Sorry Robin, but I just have to ask.' _It just seemed like the right time. Myra's eyes were expectant, waiting with her dark head cocked to one side, allowing her raven hair to hug around her tiny shoulder. She lowered herself to the ground, crossing her legs to mimick Myra's position and took a deep breath.

"Where are you from? Why don't you have parents? What does Slade want with you?" So the questions came out a little too fast, it just couldn't be helped. Myra opened her mouth to only close it again to bite her lower lip and furrow her brows. When she finally spoke, it was so soft that Raven had to ask her to repeat it. With her eyes locked on the floor she said, "I don't know... I really don't... I was lost and then _he _found me." She paused, scrunching up her face as if she was fighting herself on what to say next. It didn't go unnoticed, and she failed to speak again.

"Slade is a terrible person." _'Way to start, Raven' _"Well... out of every criminal we've ever came up against, he has been our most corrupt, dangerous, and intelligent person. I have never seen anyone more manipulative than Slade, and being a Teen Titan, i've had my fair share of those kinds of people. We are here to help you, Myra, to keep you safe. And to make sure that happens, we must know everything."

_'That was quite a monologue. I'd never live it down if Beastboy knew.'_

_BEEP BEEP BEEP_

"Raven is everything alright there?" Robin's voice cut through her thoughts and filled the room. If Raven hadn't of known any better she could've swore Myra breathed a sigh of relief at the interruption.

"Raven?" The communicator asked again. She answered this time, mentally slapping herself for hesitating. "Yes, Robin. We're okay here."

"Good." Raven peered at the device showing Robin's worried face. "Is Myra with you?"

"Yes."

"Take her and lock yourselves into the room Cyborg built for you and remain there until we come get you."

_Get into the room? I think he got hit in the head. _

"What's going on?" She inquired with her signature lift of an eyebrow to show her skepticism. She noticed the sound of his motorcycle and the muffled sound of the T-car racing across the pavement.

"Were not exactly sure. One moment we were fighting the H.I.V.E., and the next they completely disappeared." Came Robin's rushed reply. Raven thought it was definitely odd for the H.I.V.E., but she couldn't deem them actually dangerous; just more like annoying. The leader spoke again. "But not before advising us to keep a closer watch on Myra... and you."

_Me? _It was certainly some kind of joke. The H.I.V.E. posed no threat to Raven and they never will. Perhaps they teamed up with Slade? It's uncertain what really goes on in the mind of a criminal, even Slade's, and if he has in fact gathered them to carry out whatever orders he gives them, what a nasty surprise they'll get when they realize how deceitful this mastermind can be. Whatever exchange he offered them better be worth it, for their sakes.

It was a little difficult coming out of the inner mind that was trying to work out this puzzling situation, but Raven did once Robin's voice came through the communicator, a bit louder this time.

"Raven, are you and Myra safe yet?" Raven never had a chance to answer when an explosion rocked the entire tower, flooding dust and debris everywhere. The lights sputtered eerily and dimmed to the brink of a blackout. It was so sudden they didn't even scream, but shock was evident on their faces. The H.I.V.E.?

"Myra stay here and keep hidden." She spoke sternly while eyeing her bedroom door which was surprisingly still intact. Upon hearing a very timid 'okay,' Raven began teleporting herself to the main control room, and then her communicator beeped. "RAVEN! Raven are you there!"

After coughing several times from the dust, she finally answered him. "Yes Robin, I'm here. We're both here. The tower's been attacked, but I don't know how much damage there is or who is out there."

"Raven just hold on were coming, just hold on." He was worried. Perhaps a little too worried, Raven thought. It's not as if the Titans have never come across something like this, and when they have, they always pulled through. I mean, they stopped the end of the world from happening, there just wasn't much they couldn't do. Raven was one of the team's strongest members with an unlimited supply of powers and an excellent strategic mind; there should be no reason anyone should worry for her safety. Not to mention the amount of confidence she has in herself and her abilities.

Choosing not to reply back, mostly from a lack of one, the dark empath called the energies of her powers to transport her to the main room. When the darkness receded the sight before her caused her to gasp and take a step back.

It was gone.

The whole front of the main room was in complete ruin. Where once was the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean and city, there was a massive hole, and standing on the edge of the ruins were three distinct people. Jinx, Gizmo, and... a larger male whom Raven could never remember the name, but honestly, it didn't matter.

"Raven. You've come out to play. Where's your little friend?" Jinx, a small pink-haired teen who specializes in hexes and other witch-like powers, stood in center of the small group hands on hip. She really got on Raven's nerves.

"What do you want?" It was a demand, not a question. Jinx chuckled and began gazing at her nails as if she hadn't just blew a hole through the Titan's Tower on an important mission from Slade. Assuming Slade sent them to begin with. These kids were unpredictable, plus annoying. Still looking at her nails, Jinx spoke. "We're just here to give you and that little runt a message. So listen up." She pulled out what seemed like a metal ball just bigger than a baseball, but before she could throw it, Raven interrupted her.

"You destroy half my home just to give me a message?." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves which were beginning to cross dangerous.

"It's a package deal. Compliments of Slade." A bigger smirk spread on the witch's face, her hand flew back and-

"He's only using you! What do you honestly think will happen when he's through?" Raven was upset that was sure, but she was also half buying time for the rest of the team to arrive, and hoping the H.I.V.E. members didn't notice. She wasn't at all interested in Slade's plan for them.

Jinx replied, "Slade made a generous offer we just couldn't refuse. Half of Jump City and half of the loot. Don't worry though, we don't want your precious tower, that's saved for Slade only."

"Oh come on just give 'em the message already!" Cried Gizmo who was becoming increasingly irritated.

"WAIT!" Came a shout from behind Raven. Jinx's hand that was cocked back, froze along with her face, while Raven swung around to find Myra standing on top of the stairs looking defeated. This child was beyond comprehensible, doesn't she fear them?

"Myra this isn't safe, go back!" Raising amethyst eyes to Raven's identical ones in apology. That look... where had she seen that before... Myra shook her head slowly and spoke softly.

"It's me Slade wants. The Titans have been so kind to me and have shown me what true friendship is like. I don't remember ever having a friend. Please... don't harm her, or the others. If he wants me now, I will go, but you have to promise not to hurt the Titans." All three intruders looked at one another in surprise, but none looked more shocked than the sorceress. This child was no mere child of 8... she spoke well beyond her years and held herself in such a mature manner that Raven found herself having more respect for her than her longtime friend, Beastboy. If she were to gather every 8 year old girl on earth, put her in the same position Myra was in, she guaranteed every single one of them would have ran from the criminals, the scene of disaster, even from the people who were trying to protect them. It was such a young age where children thought of nothing but toys, games, junk food, and the next best thing. Not thinking of saving another person out of pure selflessness.

"What a touching line." Said Jinx. "However, that is not Slade's plan." She threw the metal ball this time, aiming it to land in front of Raven's feet. They were gone when she looked up. Not good. Then, when there was silence, Raven heard it. It was the only sound that came from a bomb... ticking. When it ceased just a second later, it was all Raven could do to reach Myra in time to attempt to protect her from the imminent explosion.

It hit like a cement wall. The sound of the rest of the Tower's windows still intact from the previous blast, shattered, and now the common room was in flames. But a certain Titan couldn't see it... couldn't even hear it...

_Pain. There's so much of it. Did I... make it to her in time? Is she okay? ... Am I okay? I wonder... Robin... Can you hear me? Are you... there..._

After fighting to gain some sort of consciousness, Raven sunk into the darkness, tired, weak, and afraid. She would not have heard the cries of the other Titans who had just arrived to see the aftermath of the second explosion, nor the yells of Cyborg trying to put out the fire, nor the yells of Beastboy and Starfire yelling Myra's name at finding her absent, nor Robin's pleas for her to stay with him... she would not have heard...

**Hate asking but... review so I might have that extra push of inspiration :)**


	7. Chapter 7: Moment of Silence

**Ugh why can't I write this story any faster! I'm sorry! This is my longest chapter to date and took a very long time to complete so I hope you all love it, and please excuse any errors... it's really late for me, and i'm too tired to proof-read. Enjoy!**

Chapter 7: Moment of Silence

_Tick...TIck...Tick...TIck...TIck...TIck..._

A modern clock's hand moved slightly down, configuring another measly minute had gone by now reading 11:51pm. To the leader of the Titans, it seemed like every minute was an hour. While he sadly watched one of his best friends float eerily in a coma, willing the tables to somehow turn, an old memory popped into his head. First, an image of a colorful stained glass window appeared to him, and then a blurry outline of a person who seemed to be holding him. He remembered being shocked once he realized that it was Raven. More shocked to be listening to a secret long held that somehow explained the new turn of events in which endangered her life as well as the entire world. Up until that moment, no one knew anything of Raven's mysterious past. But in that moment, that one moment, she dropped her armor and let someone in... let _him _in.

After evaluating that scene for the 100th time, it switched over to a small figure hurtling through the air towards a concrete death. That fear of the possibility of not making it to her in time haunts him to this day, but he did make it and she was safe. It seems as if he only ever makes it a moment too late. Tonight, for example, he should've been here to stop it, he should've stayed behind to make sure they were safe, he should've been faster...

He also should've realized someone had entered the room, and nearly jumped out of the chair from the voice.

"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to scare you, Robin! I should've knocked or something, i'm sorry." The young girl swiftly apologized.

"Uh... it's okay Myra, really." Her eyes still held a silent apology to which Robin added, "How are you holding up?"

Robin was finding it rather difficult conversing with this little girl, who mysteriously resembled the unconscious Titan two feet from him. Of course he noticed their likeness the moment he saw her, who wouldn't? They discussed the oddity, the team minus Raven, bouncing many different possibilities around to create a link which they all disagreed and agreed again. Ultimately, a verdict was reached. Raven and Myra had to be cousins.

"Robin? You okay?" He blinked away the memory. "You were really spacing out."

"Yeah..." He replied. Myra averted her attention to Raven, her eyes filling up with sadness. Taking a small step forward she whispered, "Do you think she's going to be okay?"

Robin followed Myra's gaze, asking the same question.

"Yes... I think she will."

"How can you be sure?"

"I... I'm not."

"But she's Raven, she _has _to get better."

Yes she does, he thought. Imagining the Teen Titans without her was hard enough, to imagine a world where she didn't exist was... unbearable. They had come too close at one point, and he'll never forget how it affected each of the Titans individually and as a team.

This time Robin heard the door to the infirmary open and turned to see his robotic friend, Cyborg, quietly walk in holding a sympathetic smile.

"How's our little Raven doing?" He crossed over to the machine that kept her vitals in check and began to assess them. No one answered his question, but he didn't seem to mind and continued to work diligently at his machine jotting down her current status. Myra, who had been watching intently, decided to echo Cyborg's previous unanswered question.

"How is she? Will she wake up soon?" Cyborg turned to face her, attempting to keep sorrow away from his eyes.

"Well, at this point we can't really tell. Nothing has changed as far as health. It's just a matter of Raven's will to wake up now." Upon seeing the new stress in Myra's eyes he quickly added, "but Raven's strong, she'll get through this. I won't be surprised if she wakes up today."

He hoped hard against that lie, feeling especially bad for Robin whose demeanor deflated a little since hearing Raven's unchanging status, knowing Cyborg's last second turn-around was also a cover-up. Robin always took things hard when it came to the safety of his comrades, and he was definitely disturbed by Raven's state. Seeing her like this once was more than enough and he felt like an utter failure seeing her in the infirmary again.

"Myra." She looked back. "Why don't you see what Beastboy is up to. Play a game, it'll keep your mind off of things and I'm sure it'll help him too. The infirmary is not such a great place to stay in for long periods of time" Robin suggested. Myra turned on her heel, folded her arms, slightly lifted her chin and countered, "But you've been in here for hours and you're not leaving anytime soon, I can tell, so why do I have to go?"

Both Robin and Cyborg suppressed a chuckle, noting how her stance was similar to that of Raven's when she was upset, being stubborn, or plain bored.

It was Cyborg who answered, "Why don't we do as Robin says. C'mon, i'll make you some of my famous waffles, I know you're hungry." His grin managed to create a small smile on Myra and she gave in, a little happy that her stomach would stop growling soon. When the door to the infirmary shut, leaving a small echo, Robin gently cupped Raven's pale hand in both of his and gave a slight squeeze, letting her know that she was not alone. She had never been alone. But he didn't realize what he had just triggered.

A high pitched beeping sound erupted from the machine followed by a series of different tones while their lights rapidly blinked, alerting a serious problem. Robin jumped up rushing to the screens to decipher what was wrong, but his lack of intelligence of them only served to severely frustrate him. Luckily, Cyborg was careening through the door a moment later.

"What happened!" He shouted, wildly analyzing the screens.

"I don't know! The moment I touched her hand the machines sounded off." Robin breathlessly answered.

Cyborg acted as if he hadn't heard him and continued moving from machine to machine and then to Raven. The noise drove the rest of the team in, including Myra, but none of them cared to notice.

"What's going on! What's happening?" Cried Myra.

Cyborg was holding Raven's wrist, not believing what his machines were telling him, refusing to accept what might be happening.

"She stopped breathing. And... dammit... I can't find a pulse!"

"Cyborg!" Robin shouted unable to quell his sudden anger at finding himself so useless at the moment.

"I'm trying man! I'm trying! Everything is off the charts, I can't get a reading on anything!"

The loud noises coming from the machines seemed to have suddenly exploded into an ear-piercing pitch stuck on one high note, and everyone froze. Starfire's hands were grasped over her mouth, tears beginning to fall. Beastboy was gripping the metal chair until his knuckles were white and sharing the same expression as Starfire, Robin, and Cyborg. Myra slide to her knees with a look of horror to her already pale face. This was a nightmare. It couldn't be happening. They couldn't lose Raven like this. Robin's promise to always protect her couldn't be broken...

All at once, Raven's body, that was floating a foot above the bed, began to glow black, the color of her aura and powers. It seemed to be vibrating over her skin until a sudden force of wind sucked up the aura around her, and she fell to the bed. The machines had gone silent. No one moved. No one resumed their breathing after what they had just witnessed. No one heard the sound of a heartbeat.

"N-no..." barely whispered Robin.

A moment later, that could've been mistaken for a 100 years, changed the course of events. Robin, whose face was pallid, moved stiffly towards the bedside, as everyone else remained still, afraid it was all just an illusion. He hesitated at first, afraid of triggering something else, but gently laid his hand against the side of her face, and in response, Raven gasped, letting air enter her lungs for what seemed like the very first time. The machine that monitored her heart began to light up and a steady sound began echoing strongly throughout the room. She wasn't the only one breathing again. The Boy Wonder couldn't help but smile, feeling a huge weight being lifted off his shoulders as he leaned down to whisper her name. A second later, Raven's eyes fluttered open.

(It won't let me make a break in the page, at least I don't know how. We are diving into Raven's point of view at this point).

_ "What a touching line." Said Jinx. "However, that is not Slade's plan." She threw the metal ball this time, aiming it to land in front of Raven's feet. They were gone when she looked up. Not good. Then, when there was silence, Raven heard it. It was the only sound that came from a bomb... ticking. When it ceased just a second later, it was all Raven could do to reach Myra in time to attempt to protect her from the imminent explosion._

_"NO!" _

_White flash. _

_Screams._

_Fire._

_Darkness._

Before opening her eyes, a very sore Raven already knew what was going on. Feeling cool dirt beneath her skin while calmly listening to the familiar screeches of red-eyed shadow ravens, the empath confirmed her location.

_I'm in Nevermore. _

With another screech she opened her eyes and cautiously stood up gazing around at what was her inner-mind. Why in the world did she end up here at such a critical time, when herself and her home were attacked? The explosion must have knocked her out hard to land her here.

_I hope the others got back in time..._

Giant mounds of rock and dead twisted trees floated effortlessly in the nearly black space that held them, giving no indication of a visible end. In front of her, a large archway created of twisted tree limbs stood, and in the space below, showed a completely different world. That was odd. Walking around the arch would keep you in Nevermore, but entering through it would land you in whatever world she or It wished. Sometimes It, Nevermore, would act without Raven's consent, because... isn't that what emotions do? However, due to a lifetime of practicing to suppress them, losing a bit of control from time to time deemed quite insubstantial.

Raven reminisced the time when Beastboy and Cyborg accidentally activated her mirror, the portal into Nevermore, and became trapped, all because there were trying to apologize and make her feel better. That day, all three of their bonds became much tighter, despite the abnormal circumstances.

A slight movement from the corner of her eye caught her attention and she moved into a slight defensive stance. Half expecting to see her father, she gathered some of her powers into her hands. Instead of the terrible red demon, Raven noticed a replica of herself standing in front of the archway a few yards away, when there was emptiness there moments ago. She sighed in relief and let her powers dissipate.

"Hello Raven. We're here at last, isn't it great?" The Raven replica asked giddily.

_Must be Happy. Wonderful... _

"What's going on... and where are the others?" Looking around she noticed none of her other sides were present, which was a bit odd. Usually they were never too far from each other.

The Raven replica giggled softly and took a few steps closer to Raven, leaving about ten feet between them. Upon seeing her up close, Raven noticed an apparent difference in Happy. First of all, her purple hair grew down to her hips, painfully sparking a memory of when Slade had delivered the prophecy and using Trigon's powers showed her the future of the world, ultimately causing her hair to rapidly grow. Second, the leotard and cloak were slightly out of focus, and the color couldn't be named.

Happy must have seen the obvious question mark hanging heavy over Raven's head, and began to speak, a little less giddy this time.

"I understand you hold several questions for me, Raven, and that's why I am here. To answer them, and to guide you. You don't need to be afraid"

"Guide me? I'm not afraid." Feeling a little out of control, she suddenly wasn't sure whether to trust Happy or not at this point.

"First of all," Happy began. "The reason you are unable to verify the color of my attire is due to the fact that your eyes are unable to see the seventh color of the electromagnetic spectrum."

Raven raised an eyebrow but failed to respond.

"Humans can only see six distinct colors and all of their millions of variants, in a span of specific frequencies. I am able to see the other because, well, I am not human. So, you shouldn't really be able to see it. Another thing, I am not Happy."

_I don't remember posing those questions out loud, and did she just give me a lesson in science?..._

"I am not any of your sides, in fact. What I am, in every way, is what you should be. What you _will _be." She smiled.

"What's that suppose to mean? How did you read my thoughts before? And why haven't I seen you before?" The questions came out quickly, with a hint of frustration Raven was trying hard to keep down.

"Oh Raven, we don't have much time to talk, and i'm afraid I can't explain everything to you at this moment. If you can remember what Arella told you last night, then this would make much more sense. Don't forget that I am apart of you."

"Just explain." Raven did remember what her mother had told her. She explained some sort of 'change' every Azarathian went through at a certain age. Is that the reason this strange side of Raven was present now? To as she said, 'guide' her through it all?

"Yes Raven I really am here to guide you." There she went reading her mind again.

"In a few minutes, your 18th year will begin and the Star of Azar will shine at its brightest. You will experience a change or a series of them, but what those changes will be, one cannot possibly know. So I need you, Raven, to be prepared for anything... because... there is a chance, however extremely small, that you may die."

What a shocker. Her life is on the line... again. She was a _Teen Titan_, she dealt with death on a regular basis, what part of this was new? Instead of commenting on that last statement, Raven decided to ask a rather pressing question she'd been holding onto.

"You stated before how different you were, that I will _be _you soon. What exactly are you?"

The replica beamed as if Raven had just figured out the solution to world hunger. In a moment, the slightly out-of-focus Raven, closed the distance to grasp hands.

"Raven! I am your truest emotion in the most truest form. I am what you have always wanted to be! Oh Raven... I am Love."

_Okay... now I'm really confused... I thought I had Love._

"You did have Love, and you always will. But the strength of your powers, built solely on control, buried it so deep you never knew it existed. You have only rippled the surface of that emotion. It is the only one that contains all the other emotions and still comes out the same. Love. You were meant to feel it Raven."

Raven thought about that for a moment.

"But-"

"Having the brighter side of your emotions, such as Happy and Courage, does not mix the recipe for Love." Replica Raven answered quickly, and already hearing the next few answers, continued, "You care deeply about your friends now, when that wasn't the case in the beginning because you had such extraordinary control over your emotions, but over time as they showed their loyalty and kindness to you, a string of bonds began. You know this to be true. By slowly opening your heart, you are loosening Love's chains. Yet, by retaining all traces of your powers, will you never see Love surface to its fullest potential."

She didn't seem to take a breath at all.

"So... you're saying as long as I have my powers, I will never be able to let Love out..." Raven summarized. Love nodded.

"Then how do I set you free? What is the point of me having you when there's no way you can be used in my life?" It just didn't make any sense! In fact, none of what Love has said so far, did. Raven could already feel a headache coming on.

Love shook her head sadly and said, "I wish I had the answer for you, Raven. But- Oh!"

Love whipped her head around towards the archway to see the image inside of it begin to flicker. The shadow ravens that were perched on nearby branches suddenly raised their wings, and in a chorus of feathers and screeches, flew into the archway and into the world it presented. Love returned to look at Raven to be met by eyes filled to the brim with confusion.

"I must go now. It is time." She smile apologetically, giving Raven's hand a small squeeze before letting go and walking towards the archway.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To wait, Raven."

"Wait for what!" She sounded almost frantic, and that luckily caused Love to turn her head back.

"For you, of course."

"No wait I don't understand! What am I suppose to do?" She tried to run after her but found her legs in the middle of a boycott.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos." Love cited, smiling. Then without another word, no further explanation, she vanished through the archway. The image flickered for a moment, and then began to swirl as if being sucked from the other side. A strong alarming rush of wind swept through all of Nevermore, unsettling trees, rocks, and dust. Raven realized the arch was acting as a vacuum against her inner mind that was becoming increasingly powerful. Putting her arms over her head for protection, she sank to her knees waiting for it to stop... if it ever did. A moment later, someone flicked a switch and the lights went out, plunging Nevermore into complete darkness.

Now, all was silent. Raven's heartbeat drummed in her ears making it hard to hear anything else. She finally opened her eyes... to see nothing.

_Am I dead now? Did they... no... they didn't get to me in time... I must've died for sure._

As if in response to her negative thoughts, her body began to tingle. It ran from the tips of her fingers to the end of her toes, making the hairs on her arm stand up.

_This was it. Soon there will be a white light ahead... or in my case... a red one...?_

The tingling sensation grew into an intense burning sensation that was almost painful. Then, like a chain reaction, each organ, muscle, and bone began to burn as well. Her heart beat ran faster and faster against her chest as her lungs felt like they were to explode!

_I'm dying I'm dying... I never thought this is how it would end... Couldn't I have seen him one last time?_

She had meant to say 'them,' but found it was unnecessary to correct it. Since deep down, it was truly how she felt. A sudden sharp pain erupted from her head causing a loud yelp. At this point, the ground had met up with her. Raven tried to count the number of beats her heart was producing per second, coming up with an astounding 6. Any normal person, nurse or not, knew that was absolutely life-threatening. It continued to rise. Her lungs should burst into flames any time now... along with the rest of her body.

Raven squeezed her eyes shut to the enormous pain and desperately wished for it all to be over soon... Consciousness began to fade...

The wind that had been rushing past her now seemed to bear down on her weakened body and it began to also suck up the air around her. The fire blazing across her body intensified to a level past death. She was being sucked of her own life, and there was nothing she could do. A few moments of pain had passed until the heat and weight of the overpowering fire began to disappear, leaving a numb, almost-dead Raven. There was a long moment of silence.

_This is it..._

She hoped her friends would give her a nice ceremony with very little people... she hated large crowds anyways.

Wait... had she just... no... she was momentarily insane... being on the verge of death could do that to people... but she could've swore...

There it was again. It was the lightest of whispers clinging on the very end of a wind tail. When the whisper came back, Raven realized that it was her name. Someone was saying her name. Then, like walking into the sun after being in darkest cave in the world for a 100 years, Raven opened her eyes to be blinded by an array of colors.

"Raven!"

She blinked a few times to get rid of the fuzzy outlines and finally focused. There, standing over her with the purest face of worry, was Robin.


	8. Chapter 8: Happy Birthday

**I'm just so terrible at updating! I wanted to make this one long and more interesting... ish. Please forgive me I went to D.C., got married, trying to move in a few months... oh blah blah excuses excuses :) **

**Enjoy!**

Chapter 8: Evolution

It was chaos for the first few minutes of opening her eyes, until they began to adjust to the bright light. Eventually, globs of color floated through the haze accompanied with muffled voices with no idea as to who they belonged to. At one point Raven feared she was in the hands of the enemy considering her vulnerable situation, however, after quickly recalling the scenes of Nevermore, she knew she had to be in the Tower somewhere. Her guess; the infirmary.

She attempted to make a sound in hopes of speeding her poor eyesight along, thinking if she could only recognize the voices behind the globs of colors then she could imagine them clearer, thus helping with said eyesight. Then when she heard her pathetic attempt, it sounded more like she was suffocating than trying to communicate, so she stopped. At that moment, Raven felt a warm sensation cover her right shoulder and then her forehead and laid still. She was alive. That much she knew.

"Raven?" And just like that, her hearing returned full force and everything echoed.

"She tried to speak a second ago, but I'm just so glad she's finally conscious." The voice was deep and filled with hope.

"Raven? It's Robin... can you hear me? I'm right here." Her muffled voice was nothing short of a satisfied answer.

"She's alive!" Squealed a relieved Beastboy. The realization of that statement went through each person, and the atmosphere grew warm and lightened.

"Beastboy, not so loud, you're gonna giver her a headache." Cyborg scolded.

The changeling donned a questionable face and asked, "Does Raven even get headaches?" What an interesting question. Did she? Cyborg shrugged.

"What's a 'head-ache'?" The two male Titans stared at Starfire, the most gullible of the team.

"You see Beastboy?" Cyborg pointed. Starfire nodded. "That's a headache."

"Ooh..."

"Hey!"

Robin stepped in quick to interrupt an imminent battle between, mostly for the sake of Raven.

"Cut it out guys, this is neither the time nor the place for this. Let's focus on Raven. Cyborg? Can you give me an update?"

The half robot examined the machines yet again, and everything seemed normal.

"All good here. Except, doesn't Raven usually recover by now? With her supernatural healing abilities and all?"

The Boy Wonder blinked. He was right, shouldn't she be pretty much healed by now?

Beastboy suddenly felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Starfire with a sad expression on her face.

"Beastboy, I am sorry to hear that you are a 'headache.'"

"I'm not!" Came his frustrating reply.

"But Cyborg said you were. And if you are a headache, then how can you give Raven one? I'm so confused." Cyborg and Robin, who were both suppressing grins, were about to explain when a voice interrupted them.

"Because he's loud, obnoxious, green, and not funny."

The team swiveled around to see Raven roll onto her side trying very hard not to smile at all their variant expressions. _I sure have missed them, even if I wasn't gone that long. _Robin had slid to her side the moment he heard her voice, he was much too relieved to admit it to anyone. He gently laid his hand on her shoulder.

"Raven you need to rest, there's no way you're in any condition to move just yet." She lifted her eyes to meet his half-covered face. So much worry and concern creased his features it was a miracle they didn't get stuck that way. Honestly, though, did he really need to be that emotional? She is alive and she will heal because she always did. The young sorceress surrendered to the bed again but managed to prop up a little against the wall. This constant vulnerable feeling was getting quite old, she at least wanted to be close to eye level. Then she felt something tickling her arm. Raven gasped and held up the strange purple strands surrounding her shoulders and arms.

"What in the..."

Her once prided short purple hair was now almost to her hips, but how that happened she had no clue. It was just like when Slade had delivered Trigon's message and revealed a future that caused her hair to grow rapidly long. How will she explain this one to the team.

"So... how long has it been?" She could only say.

"Well," Cyborg sighed. "Looking at the time now i'd say about 8 hours. And trust me, they sure didn't feel like 8 hours."

Raven felt a twinge of guilt, knowing that she has kept her friends up for over 24 hours while being overly worried. Another dead giveaway from their lack of sleep were the black circles under their eyes. Raven just felt... troublesome. Then she realized no one had asked her about her hair, although she could see the questions in their eyes, someone must've told them not to mention it. Hell, she couldn't explain it even if she wanted to! There was a small movement out of the corner of Raven's eye and she moved to see a smaller replica of herself almost cowering at the end of the bed.

_She's alive! Thank goodness, I almost thought... _

"I'm okay Raven..." Myra stated first. "I know you were worried about me, but you saved me. Thank you." There was a pinch of fear in the girl's eyes but Raven was too busy being relieved at her successful attempt of saving her, that it overruled it. No one else seemed to notice.

"Yeah, you okay Rae?" Beastboy also asked.

"I'm fine you guys. Did the H.I.V.E. escape?" _Please say no._

"Actually," Robin began, "Yes... but we managed to plant a tracking device on them at the last minute, and we've been following them via computer ever since. We all agreed that it wouldn't be safe to split the team to leave the tower less guarded."

Raven nodded. She knew the team would never admit how they all stayed behind purposefully to watch over her, knowing they were perfectly capable of going after the H.I.V.E. and protect the tower. Robin spoke again, "We also found a device in the middle of all the rubble, on purpose no doubt. It contains a disc but we haven't looked into it yet because... well... It can just wait."

"A device?" So they basically dropped off an object but had to blow up half the tower to do it? Well, it _was _Slade who concocted the whole plan. Damn typical villains.

"Guys," chimed Cyborg, "Let's give Raven her rest. In fact why don't we all do the same, who knows what'll happen today." The rest nodded in agreement and one by one said their soft goodbyes and retreated to their rooms for much needed sleep. As expected, team leader, Robin, stayed behind. Raven watched him when he pulled the curtains to the windows closed to block out the morning sunlight, knowing she preferred a dark room, and also hoping she wouldn't suggest leaving the infirmary. Fat chance. He rubbed a hand through his slightly messy hair and sat in the chair next to her, staring her down with a you-better-stay-in-bed look.

"I really want to go to my room Robin. I'm better now as you can see." To prove it to him she pushed herself up to lean against the wall in a sitting position and stuck her chin out. Stubborn written all over her porcelain face.

"I know Raven. What you don't understand is that I can be as stubborn as you. So you will stay in here for the night or until Cyborg deems otherwise." He returned. Hoping his hard façade stayed put, he mimicked her facial expression and crossed his arms. After a long death-stare match, Raven finally succumbed and sighed heavily.

"Pointless, isn't it." A statement Robin nodded at with a slight smirk. "Just for the night Raven, it's not that bad. Cyborg wants to be extra cautious with you because we don't truly know what happened. And with your safety on the line I must take his side." He relaxed visibly seeing the resignation in her eyes.

"One night."

"One night." He repeated. "And in the morning- er I mean, evening, we will discuss the details and try to figure out what exactly is going on. So sleep good, Raven." He walked tiredly to the door but before opening it, turned to Raven and added, "Oh and Happy Birthday Raven." He shut the door softly behind him chuckling to himself, _she's going to have my head when she sees me again._ When Raven was done glaring at the infirmary door, thinking of a million ways to torture the Boy Wonder, she curled up into a ball completely ready to sleep through the entire day... this dreadful day in history of her birth. Yet, not but two minutes passed and she was sound asleep.

THAT EVENING...

Myra had been wandering through the tower ever since she woke up not too long after lunch time, and preferring to skip the meal, food was just the last thing on her mind. A growing pain that began in the pit of her stomach continued to grow with every hour Raven remained asleep. For in many ways, she believed she was the cause of the whole mess. Yet, they were still being so nice to her. Cyborg had offered to make her his famous 10-layer pancakes complete with a bucket of syrup, and Beastboy offered his tofu- stuff... that she dare never to admit how much it freaked her out. Even Starfire invited her to a day of shuffling through girly magazines and painting nails, and all things little girls love to do, but she declined this offer as well. Honestly, Myra needed to be alone. Cyborg explained how they had a volleyball court on the roof but that they didn't really use it anymore, which created the idea of spending some time up there, where no one was suppose to be.

There was no view like the one from the roof of Titan's Tower. The ocean itself danced in the golden light of the dipping sun. The buildings of Jump City half reflected the light while the other half began to sink into darkness, getting ready for the night to come. It really was peaceful up here. Myra walked to the edge of the roof and peered down to see a violent dance between the rocks of the island and the ocean. She experienced her first vertigo feeling and decided to look straight ahead. Simple. She let herself to the ground and closed her eyes to allow the other senses to be filled. Such serenity, such tranquility, such a wonderful place for anyone looking to be alone or to just meditate. Perhaps Raven came to the roof often. Myra knew she would like it.

Yet, to her dismay, there was a presence somewhere nearby, which meant she wasn't alone. _Ah man, come on I just need a break. I swear if it's Beastboy wanting to tell me another jo-_

"Myra, I didn't think you'd be up here." Well at least it wasn't Beastboy, but the Boy Wonder himself. He lowered himself and mimicked her sitting position only to be greeted with a raised eyebrow.

"Do you come up here often?" She questioned trying hard to clear out any hint of annoyance in her voice. Robin chuckled. "Everyday. Every morning to watch the sunrise, and every evening to watch the sunset. It's beautiful isn't it." Myra stared out into open sea sighing. It truly was a sight to see. An ocean can be deceiving though where it waves monotonously into the warm air gently touching the sides of the land but then rages into a blinding storm with unheard of strength and disaster. How quickly it can turn too. Myra's life at this moment felt on the edge of a sinking ship with no sails to move, no oars to steer, and no way to escape. Well, perhaps that is a bit of an exaggeration but in every sense she was downright confused about everything!

That's when she really noticed Robin for the first time. This person sitting next to her with a completely relaxed pose was the leader of a group of teens who fought crime on a daily basis, who saw death and destruction until it made them want to puke, and sometimes ponder the idea of quitting altogether. She realized he was the type of person who never gave up on anything or anyone no matter what it might cost him in the end. She also realized she could trust him.

"Myra? Are you listening?" Robin questioned.

"Yeah I'm listening." _But please repeat it anyways..._

He turned his face to look at her and smile warmly. "I asked if maybe you had something to eat already."

"Oh, I turned down all the offers. Not really in the mood lately. I hope I didn't offend anyone." She replied feeling a little guilty.

"No," he hastily retorted. "You couldn't offend anyone Myra. We would never force you to do anything, remember that, and you can ask for anything at anytime." Robin was generous too, it seemed like they all were, but she was just a little kid why would they take the time to house her, feed her, and be kind to her when she had nothing to offer in return? _'You know what you have to do.' _She inwardly winced at the dark voice in her head. _'You're forgetting your place, little one. Don't forget what I told you.' _Guilt clutched her sides as she remembered it all.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Came Robin's voice again. Damn, she hadn't realized she spaced out again... how embarrassing.

"I'm fine, sorry. I guess i'm just tired."

"You don't have to stay up, you are welcome to sleep and i'll get you when Raven wakes up. Is that okay with you?" Myra thought for a moment.

"Is it okay if we stay up here for a little bit longer?"

"Of course." Robin smiled and they returned to staring out into the ocean. A few longs minutes passed in total silence, yet little did the young girl know that Robin was struggling to stay quiet. He didn't want to ruin this warm moment with Myra who reminded him so much of Raven, and who he looked down upon as almost a daughter. The moment they met he already cared for her so much and felt the need to protect her from everything. Just like he felt with the dark empath. Yet, it was becoming too much and he finally spoke.

"Myra, excuse me if I'm a little blunt, but what happened to you? Where did you come from?" The little girl turned and studied the Boy Wonder as he had this pleading look in his eyes. Then she turned to the sunset and replied, "Honestly Robin... I'm not really sure. It's as if I can't remember anything past a certain point when I know I should be able to. It was dark at first, and then I found myself wondering through the streets with no clue as to who I was or where I was. Then..."

She paused suddenly. Her knees closed into her chest as she rested her chin on them looking sorrowful. Instead of pressing for the rest, Robin decided to ask his most burning question.

"When did you meet Slade?" Myra didn't move. How could she tell him? The story itself was so bizarre and twisted she even had trouble comprehending all of it. But Robin was nice, he could be trusted, he would help her, wouldn't he? She trusted him the moment they met, she felt safe being around him, and now she was fighting herself on whether to completely trust him and tell all she knew. Would Robin be upset with her? Kick her out of the tower? He seemed like a forgiving person...

_Perhaps I have a chance... _

Myra lifted her head to meet his again, gathered up more courage, and began to talk.

"Hemet _me_. He found me and... took me in. He seemed kind, and seemed to care about my well being. He gave me my name and told me I was special."

"Wait," Robin interrupted. "So, he gave you the name Myra? You don't even know your real name?" She nodded. Robin noticed he was becoming increasingly angry by the second, but hid it well.

"That's not all..." She whispered. "I'm... I'm really a terrible person Robin! I don't know what to do anymore, I don't know what to believe. I don't know who I am or where I'm from or who I belong too, and it kills me! I just... I just don't know." She had begun to cry and buried her head into her knees. Robin wondered why a young 8 year old girl would think she was such a terrible person. He clenched his fist at the thought of Slade manipulating her into thinking those things.

"Listen Myra, listen to me. You are _not _ a terrible person. Do you understand? The moment you start believing that, the moment you start to lose yourself. You are-"

A sudden loud crash came from behind them. Robin jumped up and took a defensive stance in front of Myra but relaxed when he saw that Beastboy had slammed the roof door open.

"Dude you better get down here now!" The changeling was panting and was visibly frightened by something. Robin ran towards the door, Myra in tow.

"What is it?" He almost yelled. "It's Raven! Something's really wrong."

The three bolted to the infirmary. Robin ran threw the already opened door and stopped in front of an awake Raven who was staring down at her hands in horror. Cyborg and Starfire were already there standing by with a similar expressions. Robin immediately regretted leaving her side. She didn't look to be in pain and the machines were stating her perfect health, but something was horribly wrong. He approached her cautiously until they were nearly touching and eye-to-eye, but she wasn't looking at him.

"Raven?" Robin said tone full of worry. "Raven, what's wrong?"

"... can't be... how did it... can't be..." The sorceress whispered.

"Raven please tell me what is going on."

"I-it's gone... it's all gone..."

"What is gone?" There was a long pause. Robin repeated the question, "Raven, please, what is gone?"

Raven slowly raised her head almost painfully and with terrified eyes looked at Robin.

"M-my... powers...!"


	9. Chapter 9: Realizations & Complications

**Alright, I know you all hate me now but I can explain! I just moved to san diego and it was just hectic for a while, however I promise there won't be another long wait. Promise! (maybe)**

Chapter 9: Realizations & Complications

The moment had finally come. The moment Raven feared her entire life happened at the most unexpected and inconvenient time of all. Her mother talked about this 'change' as being something of a blessing... yeah... a blessing disguised as a curse.

"I'm powerless..." She whispered. She repeated it over and over in her mind but she new reality hadn't hit yet. Those feelings were mirrored to the rest of the team that were standing by still hoping she'd jump up and yell "Gotcha!" Everyone knows what a devilish prankster she is.

"Raven you're not powerless. You are and will always be valuable to this team no matter what." Robin comforted. Raven looked beyond sad but studied everyone's faces to search for any doubt about Robin's words. There was a lot of room for that. How can a hero with no supernatural powers be of any help now?

_'But look at Robin, with no powers to speak of, nothing to help enhance his abilities, and yet he's the leader of the Titans. He even went to hell and back to save me when the odds were stacked highly against him. He may be the strongest out of all of us.' _Raven thought.

"Soooooo..." Beastboy started. "You're saying Raven has absolutely no powers? As in no more of that black scary stuff?" Cyborg sighed. "Unfortunately yes, Beastboy."

"Hmmm." Raven didn't like the look the changeling was giving her.

Beastboy continued his thought, "So she can't zap me when I make a joke? Or... or turn into a red-eyed monster when I pull a prank on her?" Raven glared at him.

"Don't even think about it or so help me, powers or not, I will punch you into the next dimension." She hissed and then smirked when she saw Beastboy take a step back.

"Okay..." He whispered. "She's still scary."

"Knock it off Beastboy." Raven was glad Robin stepped in. "Raven's in a very delicate situation."

_'Delicate? _Raven thought a little offended. Robin felt a slight difference in the mood surrounding the empath then realized his mistake.

"Well, what I mean is that with Raven unable to access her powers, we've lost a good portion of our fighting force. Not that she can't still fight, but it might leave her a little more vulnerable against any enemies. Especially against Slade."

"You don't have to speak as if i'm not here." Robin sweatdropped, knowing that he probably made her mood worse.

"Robin," she continued, "I know very well what dangers I am in, given my... condition. But that doesn't mean you all need to keep protecting me, I can handle myself." The team looked towards their leader for any reaction. They knew him better than to just back down and not protect those he cared about, it just wasn't Robin.

"Well look at the time!" Bellowed Cyborg looking at his watch as if it were incredibly interesting. "Time for breakfast!"

"Dude it's nighttime. You can't have breakfast at night!" Beastboy argued. Cyborg walked towards the door grabbing Beastboy's arm in the process murmuring something about probably going to have to clean the infirmary "_when they're done with it_." A few seconds later a robotic hand shot out from behind the door grabbing Starfire who was just staring into space. Now it was just the two birds.

"What are you going to do?" Raven asked softly after a few minutes of stiffened silence. Robin scratched the back of his head and sat in the chair next to the bed.

"I think first, you should focus on getting better. As for Slade, leave him to me. We're going to have to be extra cautious..." Raven looked away trying to come up with a good excuse to get them off her back.

"What I don't understand is... how can an explosion wipe out your powers, I mean, we've been in many situations like that. It doesn't add up, and I don't think you're telling me everything, Raven." At that she looked him straight in the eyes contemplating her next words. She should tell him, she could trust him, it was Robin for goodness sake.

"No you're right." Raven's eyes softened as she began to explain everything. She was thankful when he never interrupted but waited patiently for her to finish, soaking everything in. She greatly admired that part about him. At one point when she noticed how intently he was staring at her, heat rose to her cheeks and she had to fight so hard to keep it down, and scolded herself for such feelings.

"...So... one way or another, attack or not, the 'Change' couldn't have been stopped or postponed."

"And how long is it going to last?" Robin asked. Raven tried to muffle her sigh of relief at Robin's question, she wasn't use to talking so much.

"No idea. I don't even know what powers I will posses, that is, if I am granted any." Raven absently looked towards the clock on the wall which in turn caused the Boy Wonder to look too. He swept one hand through his dark hair and stood up.

"Well... it's pretty late. I think we all need some rest, and we'll figure out everything tomorrow to come up with a plan. I'll send Cyborg up to do a last check-up." He started towards the door.

"No. I'm staying in my room tonight." Robin turned to see his teammate pouting on the infirmary bed, arms folded and amethyst eyes stubbornly glaring back. It was all he could do from keeping the word '_cute_' from his mind along with a slight blush.

"Please, Raven?"

"You promised remember? One night." Oh crap he did make that promise. It couldn't be helped though! Robin was finding himself overly protective of her right now due to her condition. She was being targeted by the most sinister of criminals and now is void of her strongest protection, which is probable cause for being overprotective! _"Right?" _He thought.

"Alright alright, you win. But i'm walking you there." Raven groaned but didn't argue. A minute later they were silently walking down the corridors in the direction of Raven's room. Robin could tell she was relieved from being in the infirmary, but promised himself if anything else happened- even if she just had a nightmare, she was going right back in. It might be a bit much, but there couldn't be any room for mistakes, they couldn't take any chances.

"Uh earth to Robin?" Said a soft voice. "This is my room." Robin didn't realize he spaced out and now they were both standing in front of Raven's door. _'Way to go, you probably look like an idiot now.' _

"Right." He said. The door opened with a soft _swoosh _and Raven entered her sanctuary. Before she could enjoy it, however, there was still a presence lingering in the doorway.

"Uh Raven... seeing as today is... well... here, I got you something." Robin pulled out a small plastic card with the picture of a book on it. Raven slowly took it with a puzzled look. "It's a gift card to that book shop down on 11th street... it's not much but... Happy Birthday." Raven looked up.

"But Robin it's no longer my birthday-"

"Not according to that clock." He pointed behind the girl towards her night stand where sat a large alarm clock. It read 11:52pm. Robin stepped back and with a smile on his face said, "Goodnight Raven." The door slid closed. She must have stared at it for a good 3 minutes before she shook her head and settled into bed that she extremely missed.

The room was completely dark except for the said alarm clock with it's bright numbers. Still, Raven raised her hand to gaze at the gift Robin had just given her. No one had ever done something like that. Images from last year's birthday went through her mind when her teammates decided to throw her a surprise party included with cake and all the happy decorations, but it was them that got the surprise. Raven felt the guilt shiver through her, and grasped the card tight. _'Thank you, Robin...'_

!

A gloved hand raked through slick black hair in frustration. The Boy Wonder still stared at a computer screen reading pages upon pages of useless information leading to nothing but dead ends. Instead of getting rest like the others, he immediately went to work on solving the unusual case. It probably wasn't a good idea knowing that tomorrow he'd be spending most of the day repairing the common room, but this was Robin we're talking about.

After a few more minutes his stomach began to burn in hunger. _'Guess I can go for a snack.'_

As soon as the electric doors parted into the common room, there was a rush of cool air streaming in from the gaping hole and all was dark. Robin flicked on his compact flashlight and searched for something to eat. The whole place was depressing.

He finally settled on a small bowl of grapes when he stopped mid bite. Something in the dark glinted in the partial moonlight out of the corner of his eye. Turning the flashlight onto the floor near what was once the gigantic couch, laid a hand-sized object. He picked it up cautiously examining the piece of metal burnt and rugged around the edges. It was the remains of the bomb. He turned it over in his hand until he spotted grooves in the metal. They looked like letters but he couldn't see underneath the ash and typical fire damage.

Moments later Robin was back in the data room to better investigate this object. He grabbed a small rag to try and rub away the grime until it left two small faded words.

**Zarcomen Inc. **"I've never heard of this corporation." He stated suspiciously. His fingers began typing away furiously at the keyboard.

_No results were found. No results were found. Error. _

"That can't be. There's gotta be something here. Anything!" But there wasn't, only blank pages. Robin sat back and ran a hand over his face feeling the exhaustion from the day begin to settle.

The last couple of days have been strange, for lack of a better word. Slade being as mysterious as ever, a new deadlier plot threatening the life of a close Titan member, a young little girl without a past and a bizarre link to their enemy, fearing more attacks on the tower, a new puzzling underground corporation, and... for Robin alone, the growing of uncertain feelings towards an unlikely source. They seemed to never catch a break, but that's what being a hero is all about, right? Giving up all aspects of your life to protect the innocent, the helpless, and the righteous? None can say it's a small price to pay. For the courage to harness extraordinary powers for the 'good side' is anything _but _selfish, and in a world full of greedy, warmongering, miserable beings, a humble quality can be very rare.

Robin sighed and looked at his watch. "Two fourty-five... as much as I need to figure this all out, I need my full strength to be ready for anything Slade throws at us. For some reason... I have a feeling this is only the beginning of something much more terrible than we can imagine... but I hope I'm wrong..."

Robin turned off the computer and proceeded to leave the room. "I truly hope I am..."


	10. Chapter 10: Links

**I'm so sorry for the wait! And I apologize for this short chapter, but there are a few things that I'm still working out in terms of timline of events for upcoming chapters. Enjoy!**

Chapter 10: Links

6:17am. An increasingly frustrated Raven sat cross legged on her bed, eyes squeezed shut in concentration searching for any sign of life within herself. She already tried tapping into Nevermore from her enchanted mirror, but only her reflection stared back. So far, nothing was working.

_'This can't go on forever, can it?'_

She had been trying for hours, unable to sleep. Robin was right, even though he didn't flat out say it, she was almost completely helpless by the lack of her powers. They all knew it. What would become of her if this turned out to be permanent? No. That wasn't an option. She _will_ find a way to get them back.

Raven tried emptying her mind again. But when nothing happened the frustration she had been suppressing finally came to the surface. She was beginning to lose patience, and felt like screaming.

All was silent. Something should've blown up by now, something should've shattered, or someone should've screamed- something should've happened! Yet, nothing. Nothing but the constant ticking of the clock standing on her night stand. As much as she loved the quiet, under these circumstances, they only seemed to haunt her.

Then something in the atmosphere surrounding Raven shifted. For some reason, she felt a strong presence coming towards her bedroom and could even sense whatever it was feeling worried. Strange, how without the powers, her ability to sense people and their emotions hadn't gone away.

Yet, she knew who was at the door before the name even entered her brain.

A knock on the door. "Raven? Are you awake?"

The door zoomed open to reveal an annoyed looking girl. "Robin, you knew very well that I was awake."

Robing looked a little embarrassed. "I uh... I'm not really sure how to uh... say this..." He said hesitantly. Robin? Stumbling in a sentence? This was interesting.

"Just a few seconds ago I had this weird sort of... pulling in my head to suddenly come and check on you. I could feel your frustration. I _sensed_ it. It was just... strange. I'm curious to know if you felt it too?" Raven stared at her teammate, taking his words in. Could it be that their bond survived? It seems as each of them felt the other's emotional state while feeling drawn to them. Odd, yes, but Raven had heard of these things before. Perhaps in light of losing her powers, the very walls blocking her emotions, has in turn enhanced her abilities to sense them. It was a logical explanation, but she couldn't be positive it was the right one.

"I'm not sure what it is." She finally answered. The uncertainty gnawing at their sides could'nt have been worse. It seemed their problems have kept coming, one on top of the other, nothing making even the slightest sense. Just then, Robin's communicator came to life and Cyborg's face appeared on the small screen.

"What is it?" He asked trying to mask his annoyance at the interruption.

"You need to come down here and see this." Cyborg replied seriously.

"We'll be right there." Robin said looking towards Raven. Her face held a question but she didn't voice one, but followed the Boy Wonder to wherever Cyborg was. Knowing Robin, he had given some task of finding information about Slade or the H.I.V.E.. She hoped it wasn't too serious.

Upon opening the door to the room, the half-robot man literally skidded over to them, pressing a piece of paper into Robin's hand.

"Check this out. I ran a scan on that company name, and at first nothing came up, like you had said. Then I ran a diagnostic on the components of the bomb to see if there were any unique substances used to narrow things down, but it was just a plain one." Cyborg explained. Raven looked over the piece of paper as well. It was a picture of the bomb as it looked before the blast with arrows to point out the various parts and details of what they do and why. She must admit, she was very impressed with his ability to turn twisted burnt parts back together to create somewhat of an outline, then make it perfect using digital tools.

"I kept looking for anything with Zarcomen in it, until I found this." Cyborg turned their attention to the computer screen where a large picture of a large shipping boat filled with wooden boxes. He touched the screen and zoomed in on one of the boxes, where Zarcomen Inc. was stamped in large red letter. Zarcomen? Why did that name seem so familiar with Raven? She'd heard something like that before, but she couldn't place her finger on it.

Robin looked confused. "So you found a Zarcomen Inc. label, but it doesn't tell us who or where they are."

Cyborg touched the screen again. "Now look at this." He moved the picture to zoom on the side of the boat. "The boat's name is J.L. #9. The J.L. standing for Justice League." The two onlookers gasped in surprise.

"Cyborg, are you sure?" Robin knew the Justice League better than anyone else, there had to be some mistake.

"It's just as plain in front of you as it is me." He replied somberly. With good reason. This information was not only serious, but a tremendous hole blown in the case involving the past days events.

"This is a serious accusation." Raven chimed in, her eyes still wide in shock.

"I know, but how else can this be interrpreted?" Raven examined the photo with Robin, finding something to discredit Cyborg's claim. Yet, nothing showed up.

"Do we know where this dock is?" Robin inquired.  
"No, I cant' find anything about it. It must be privately owned. I had to dig in some files to even get this picture." Cyborg answered.

"So, the Justice League is behind this or someone is stealing their cargo ships." Raven stated, quite not sure what to believe. Cyborg shrugged.

"Have you tried accessing the Justice League files?" Robin asked.

"Zarcomen is not in anything I was able to access." The half-robot answered.

"That's not what I meant." Cyborg's eyes widened and he threw his hands in the air.

"Dude! In order to do get into their system i'd have to be a complete supercomputer! And even then it'd take years to crack just a few of their security codes!"

He was right, but that wasn't going to stop the leader of the Teen Titans. Raven breathed a deep sigh.

"We just moved past complicated." She said quietly.

**I know, short. Next chapter we will see relationships deepen as the plot thickens when the team begins to unravel the mysteries of Raven's lost powers, Slade's new interest in her, and the girl named Myra. Things will start to tie up and heat up. I promise the next chapter will be long and very detailed. Thank you! Review if you can :)**


	11. Chapter 11: Stirrings

**Finally! A long chapter to make up the last one. I apologize in advance for any mistakes you might find, feel free to point them out nicely. Sometimes I don't find them until days after I've posted a chapter. Enjoy and be excited because this is my longest chapter to date!**

**Chapter 11: Stirrings**

When the news had finally reached the rest of the team, a meeting was called. And in less than a minute they were situated in the average sized computer room with Robin standing by the screen. It was already lit up with the picture Cyborg had found. Starfire and Beastboy took their seats on the half burnt couch from the common room that Cyborg was able to salvage. That, and a few other living room items took up the rest of the space.

"So...you're saying the Justice League might have something to do with the H.I.V.E.?" Beastboy summarized.

"It's a possibility." The team leader replied.

"And have something to do with Raven?"

"But this does not make sense." Starfire spoke up. "Is not the League of Justice suppose to be good?"

Cyborg took a step forward to settle on the other side of the desk. "Look guys, we don't really know what's going on here and we don't have enough evidence to pinpoint a suspect yet besides the H.I.V.E. and Slade. Judging by this," he waved his hand in front of the picture, "they are not working alone."

Robin immediately spoke next. "But we can't ignore the fact that our enemies' weapons are, according to this picture, being handled by the Justice League. That, or someone has stolen one of their cargo ships."

"Wait wait wait wait wait." Beastboy interrupted holding both his hands up. "Are you saying that someone could be stealing from the League? The _League_? Isn't that like totally impossible?"

Raven, who had been quietly leaning against the wall rolled her eyes and answered, "Yes Beastboy, it _is_ possible. They may be the most elite force on this planet but they are not perfect."

Robin raised an eyebrow, wondering if she meant the members or their systems, or perhaps both. But he didn't question it.

"The other possibilty is that someone is using their ships secretly." Cyborg added. "But knowing how complex their security systems are, something like this would not go unnoticed."

"But, what does this have to do with Raven? And what about Myra?" Asked the changeling. Raven looked at him in surprise. She had almost forgotten about her! From the mirror expression donning Robin's face, he'd done the same thing. Her part in this was just as equally important. Myra was still a mystery to be solved. Raven gazed upward to the ceiling, finally noticing the sensation of being slightly pulled towards it. Then she knew where the little girl was, unbeknownst how, but she knew. Raven's face contorted into confusion. _'Why didn't I notice that before?'_

"Well," the leader started, looking admittedly confused and placed a hand under his chin, "I'm not really sure, Beastboy. But what we do know is that the H.I.V.E. is working for Slade and using a weapons supplier that could possibly be the Justice League or a criminal we've never faced before. Either way, Raven is their primary target and Myra is much too involved."

Starfire turned her head from side to side looking around the room. "And where is friend Myra?"

"The roof."

Raven blinked. Her voice wasn't the only one that had spoken. Looking across the room she locked surprising eyes with Robin who had his mouth slightly open. _'H-how did he...'_

"JINX!" Beastboy suddenly jumped up and shouted. "Now neither of you can talk until I say your name three times!" Placing both hands on his hips he smirked in victory. "Hmm... waven, haven, saven, craven... lobin, wobin, shrobin-"

One of the couch pillows collided with the changeling's face. "Knock it off!"

Beastboy flew back, scraping across the floor into the wall. "Ow... really... hurts..." He weakly groaned.

Raven raised an eyebrow in slight amusement. "Good one, Cy." Said person gave her the thumbs up and a triumphant smile. Some boys never grew up. During this little scene, Robin had removed himself from the front and went to stand by the empath. Crossing his arms he said, "He's lucky it wasn't _me_. A pillow wouldn't do nearly enough damage as a chair."

Raven tilted her head to view the leader, and he flashed her a smirk. It was just one small movement. A movement that should've been waved off, but something about it caused an unnatural reaction in the girl, that she forgot the loss of her powers and suddenly feared an explosion of some kind. But instead of feeling the tower shake, she could only feel heat rise to her cheeks. Raven realized her chest had constricted and her heart was beating off the charts. From a single look? From him? A sickness must've come over her to be experiencing these sudden and fearful symptoms. Something quick and something viral.

The dark teammate struggled to maintain emotional control. Her astute mind picked and pulled apart every possible meaning of the new sensations running rampant through her veins. Ever since the loss of her powers, it seemed everything was off. Or could it be that everything reset to a human's standard of normal? Was this normal? Raven argued against herself, attempting to deny that these similar feelings presented themselves long before the incident.

She shifted her weight nervously and felt something tickling her hand. When she looked down her eyes met purple. Too many things had been consuming her mind that she'd almost forgotten about her new lengthy hair. No one had said anything still and she appreciated it. This time, though, she wasn't so keen on cutting it just yet. There were more important things to be dealt with.

Robin sighed next to her and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Meeting is over. Cy, the t.v. is yours."

Upon hearing those words the half robot ceased his bickering with Beastboy and grinned evilly and snatched the game controller before his friend could get to it. The room had now become the unofficial common room and luckily they possessed an extra t.v. which unfortunately was about 1/10th the size of the original one. The games were of no issue, since Cyborg kept them all in his bedroom, which for the others was a bit of a dissapointment. Not even an attack on the tower cost them their precious games and devices that were the cause of pretty much every argument between the two boys. Life was unfair.

"Friends!" Starfire exclamined dancing over towards Robin and Raven. How she always managed to stay high-spirited was quite beyond them. "Would you like to join me in the shopping of the mall? It is but a sunny day and I feel the gloom of what has been happening. Would it not be right to go out and, as they say, de-stress?"

Raven gave the exotic alien an 'are-you-serious' look. Starfire noticed the lost cause and solely turned towards Robin. "Robin? Would you like to join me? Perhaps we can go on... the date?" She pressed a finger to her cheek and looked away embarrassed.

A date? "Um... well, Star..." The Boy Wonder's hesitation drew Raven's attention as she curiously watched his facial expressions out of the corner of her eyes. Something stirred in the pit of her stomach, something she was unaccustomed to.

Starfire then seemed to banish her embarrassment and leaned forward eagerly, waiting for his reply.

_'Way to put me on the spot, Star.'_ He thought a little bitterly. And then he mentally slapped himself, remembering that the green-eyed girl believed they were a couple. The Tokyo trip wasn't that long ago, but up until their dramatic kiss, their relationship hadn't gone much further than that. Being busy with their duties and now the new turn of events kind of held off on any kind of growing the two needed in order to become a full-fledged couple. At least, that was how Robin saw it. But he couldn't ignore her advances.

"Alright Star. But we'll have to wait until later tonight-"

"Oh glorious!" She shrieked in delight and clasped her hands together. Raven felt her stomach drop but showed no outward sign of her new inner turmoil. She began to feel angry with herself for the lack of control and the inability to switch off her emotions.

"I shall prepare immediately!" Starfire announced and flew out of the room, purely floating on cloud nine. Yet, Robin felt a disturbing pinch in his side, something he wasn't expecting but at the same time wasn't fully surprised with. He'd done it now... the phrase 'pity date' seemed a bit too harsh. Someone else was currently filling his mind.

"Dude! You can't do that! That's cheating!" Beastboy suddenly yelled over the noisy game.

"Oh yes i can! And I just did!" Came Cyborg's arrogant comeback.

_'And that's my cue to leave.'_ Raven pushed off from the wall and headed out the door but then remembered something and turned back towards the spikey haired boy.

"Robin... yesterday you mentioned finding a disc, but that didn't come up in the meeting."

Robin looked up when she spoke and stared at the dark girl, suddenly overcome by a mixture of feelings. Her amethyst eyes took on a soft business-like look, and the almighty leader found himself transfixed.

"Robin." She repeated, which finally pulled him back.

"The disc? Ah..." The boy put a hand on the back of his head in slight embarrassment. "Actually... I haven't been able to locate it."

Raven blinked unprepared for an answer like that from her prestigious leader. "You lost it?" Robin never lost anything!

"I was sure I had put it in the top drawer, but when I went to retrieve it, it was gone. And I haven't found it since."

Odd. Extremely odd. No one would've taken it without notifying him, but Robin is not the irresponsible kind no matter how hectic things became. Perhaps things were finally catching up with him.

"We'll find it Raven, don't worry." He reassuringly smiled. Raven nodded and swiftly left. She walked through the halls clutching her chest, confusion and frustration creasing her face because inside something was terribly wrong. That smile...

_'What is wrong with me? Why do I get like this when he's around... I don't understand...'_

A few moments passed and Raven stopped herself at the rooftop entry way. At the warmth of the sun at high noon the girl relaxed to take the elements in, temporarily forgetting previous things. Titan Tower surely boasted the best views of Jump City and the blue-gray ocean reaching past the horizon. It was hard to believe that almost a year ago, all of this was nearly lost. Sometimes, the scenes that burned still freshly in her mind would flash before her eyes, that would release a fear of another possible apocolypse. But it couldn't happen again... No, her destiny had been fulfilled and she was no longer bound to her terrible father. Or... were the chains just weakened? No matter, if the skies dared to turn red again, Raven knew this time she'd stand alongside her teammates through it all.

As her legs carried her to the edge of the roof, a small movement caught the corner of her eye. Myra was sitting cross-legged a few yards away and when they both noticed each other, the tiny girl smiled.

"Would you like to join me, Raven?" Raven quietly accept the invitation and settled down next to her, also mimicking her position.

"And what is it that you're doing?" Raven asked a little playfully.

"A few things. Meditating, thinking, dreaming... I find I think best when I'm up here."

Raven still held some bewilderment at the child's advanced maturity.

"Do you come here often?" Myra asked.

"Often enough."

"Always by yourself?"

"No..." Raven's mind darted throught the memories of all the sunrises and sundows she shared with the Boy Wonder.

"I like it up here. Isn't it beautiful?" Myra held out her hand gesturing to the ocean. "You are so lucky you get to live here. I wish... I had a home." She tucked her legs to her chin somberly.

"You have a home. With us."

"But Raven, I can't stay here forever."

"Maybe you can."

Myra's head shot up with hope filled eyes.

"Is... that possible? Do you really think Robin would allow it?" Raven threw her a confused look. "I don't see why not."

Myra's heart stood on the edge of something. Hope for a future with the Titans, which she dared to get excited about, and an unwilling duty to a criminal backed with a terrible threat. How much could an eight year old handle? What kind of person would place such a heavy burden on someone so small? Myra sure felt small at this moment, becoming ridden with guilt. And Raven sensed it.

"There's more you want to say." She stated.

"I...am..." Myra hesitated until it seemed an idea struck her. "I am just stressed about everything, and I'm always worried _he_ will come back..." _'Well... that is mostly truth... but she seems to always see right through me... and I don't want to lie anymore...'_

"Raven? Have you ever been torn trying to make a decision?" Raven remained quiet, understanding it wasn't meant to be answered. "My past is all I ever think about. I feel that it holds the key to everything that's going on, but I can't even remember what letter my real name starts with. It's... really frustrating. I could be missing out on something really important. I could be missing out on my own family, my own life. But i'm here with you and the rest of the Titans. And you've all made me feel like part of a family... and for some reason I feel a bond with you. It's strange I know, but don't ask me why because I honestly couldn't tell you. But it isn't just with you. Ever since I met Robin he's been almost like a big brother to me or maybe like a father I'm not really sure. And he genuinly cares about me and accepted me no questions asked. I don't know what it is, but something about being around you two, just makes me feel so... at home. So right."

Raven pondered over her words feeling a little uneasy.

"You all have done so much for me and yet... I..." Myra gripped her knees and squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh Raven, I'm such a terrible person! I really... I... I'm awful!"

Tears began to roll down the little girl's face much to Raven's surprise. What could this child have possibly done to think she was so awful?

"You're not awful, Myra." She tried to console.

"But I am..." Myra whispered. If it were any other circumstance than this, Raven would have hesitated to calm someone down. She just didn't _do_ sentimental. However, the feeling rising inside of her lacked anything but a motherly instinct and she couldn't keep it down.

Raven turned her body to fully face the crying girl.

"Listen Myra, you are _not_ awful. The moment you begin to believe that, you begin to lose yourself. Trust me, I know."

Myra lifted her head to stare wide-eyed at the sorceress who held a serious but soft expression.

"Wow... you both really _are_ close." She said in slight awe, remember that Robin had said almost those exact words. Raven had an obvious question mark over her head.

"Who?"

Myra answered with another question, "You like him a lot don't you?" _'What in the world is she talking about?'_ Raven thought with a hint of frustration.

"Who is 'him'?"

"Robin, of course!" Myra waved her hand in the air with impatience as if her friend should've known who she was pertaining to. The twist in Raven's stomach tightened as the leader once again flooded her mind. And she'd just stopped thinking about him too! Her thoughts produced an image of him and Starfire out on a date, and that new fiery sensation lit up again.

"In case you haven't noticed, my emotions can be dangerous. I can't afford to feel anything."

"But Raven you're powers are gone." Myra countered. "And you're wrong. You _can_ afford to feel love."

_'What?'_

"Love?" Raven barely choked out, completely taken aback.

"I see the way you two act around each other. I don't know how many times i've caught you both staring. You can't at least deny that you have special feelings for him, Raven." Myra said with a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth. Raven remained quiet, unsure how to respond. Her emotions seemed to be rioting against her again and it was a struggled to maintain them.

"I thought we were meditating." Came her only monotone reply. Myra chuckled and settled back into the lotus position, mimicking the dark teen.

"Just one more thing." She started, her eyes still shut. "With your powers gone, does that not mean you can experience a normal life? If it were me, I'd take this chance, no matter how long it will last, and live everyday to the fullest. I wouldn't hold back. So you shouldn't either."

Once again, the eight year old managed to silence the female Teen Titan. Raven didn't have anything to add or counter to that suggestion. After several minutes had gone by, she was finding it increasingly harder to remain still. Finally, with a soft exasperated sigh, she got up.

"I'm going to my room to read." She explained already walking away. Myra turned to watch her leave, a sad smile appearing on her face.

_'Love? For Robin? Is she delusional?'_ Raven trudged slowly to her room. _'Even if I am without my powers, I don't think I can do it.'_

The door slide opened to reveal a dark room. _'She said she noticed his behavior around me... but that couldn't... even if he did...'_ Raven collapsed onto her big bed and stared up into the gray ceiling. "It's impossible." She said outloud.

_'"I am your truest emotion in the most truest form. I am what you have always wanted to be! Oh Raven... I am Love."'_

Raven turn on her side and stared dejectedly at the wall. "He would never love someone like... me."

_'"Love. You were meant to feel it Raven."'_

"Stop it!" She threw her hands over her ears. These stupid notions, these unrealistic possibilites had to be shut down immediately before someone got hurt... but damage had already been done. So the small empath hugged herself, disheartened and only more confused.

Across the tower, someone paced. Robin had been feeling guilty from the moment he agreed to a date with Starfire. Unsure why his emotions were in a tangle over this, he could only assume stress from previous events were the cause. Yet, on a deeper level the Boy Wonder knew better. But since when did he begin to notice his dark quiet friend? Not that he hadn't before, because he _had_ noticed her on a friendly level. _Only_ on a friendly level. Never did he imagine his heart would take him further.

"Maybe I should talk to her." Robin made for the door but stopped suddenly with his hand only inches from the doorknob. _'And what would I say? How can I tell someone about my feelings if _I_ can't even understand them?'_

He retreated and slumped down on the edge of his bed. _'What is going on with me? I have to get it together.'_

Seconds later there was a shift in the atmosphere. Robin froze and began to feel a pulling sensation much like the last one. Instead of it feeling sour and angry from the previous time, the air felt somber almost depressing. There was a hint of frustration too. _'Raven...?'_

A part of him strongly desired to run and console her from whatever was making her sad. That will to protect her from any kind of harm had never been stronger, but then... did that mean something? He'd always wanted to protect his friends and keep them happy and yet, ever since Raven's near death, that feeling increased dramatically. And for her alone. They had a bond. And now it was running deeper than ever.

Then there's Myra. The little eight year old girl who looked remarkably like his precious teammate. The moment he locked eyes with her, he was sold. He knew that no matter what, he _had_ to protect her. It was an instant connection that had him partaking in a role almost parallel to a parent's. But something stranger was happening... not only did he feel a bond with the child, but at times he swears he can _sense_ her... Of course it sounded ridiculous! On several occasions it happened, but Robin mistook it for just being overly worried. Well, shouldn't he be sensing the others then? Why did it only involve those two? Too many questions, too many scenarios, too many emotions colliding that it made his head spin.

Against his natural instinct, Robin remained in his room and dragged himself to the window. He'd do anything to keep them safe. Never again will he allow any of them to be hurt. Never again will he allow Raven to fall into the hands of the enemy. Never again will he see her suffer.

With the decision to stay put proving harder to commit to, he found himself gripping the windowsill.

"Raven...I wish I knew what was bothering you..."

**Review! Give me your insights on what you think is going to happen, and what you think should happen. I have my story line but suggestions can sometimes make it better. Thank you!**


	12. Chapter 12: Feelings

**Alright my loyal followers, here is a nice long chapter to make up for lost time. Thank you to all those who reviewed and helped me to trudge through this seemingly difficult part of the story to write. I heart you all!**

**Chapter 12: Feelings **

"Raven?" A beautiful green-eyed alien raised a hand to knock on the door. "Raven, I seek your opinion on the clothes I have chosen for the date with Robin." There was silence on the other side. "I know this is not your thing, but see, you are the only girl I can go to. Please, I need your advice."

Raven shut the book she had been quietly reading with a snap. The interruption was not welcomed and she glared at her door, remaining motionless. Of all the things she desired at this moment, advising Starfire on what to wear on a date with _him_, currently sat on the bottom of the list.

"Raven?" Said girl groaned inwardly. _'Don't make me do this, Star...'_ She was fighting the rising resentment towards her teammate. Yet, the feeling wasn't right and the guilt began to spread until Raven reluctantly made a decision.

The gray door slid open. Starfire's face lit up and she took a step back to give her friend a better view of her outfit. "Do you like it? Do you think Robin will be pleased?"

Raven stared in awe. The girl had chosen a flowy strapless emerald dress with a thick diamond belt situated around her waist. The color only served to brighten her own green eyes as the rest of her just simply glowed. How could any man not think Starfire was inspiringly beautiful? Robin would surely love it.

"Well?" Starfire did a small twirl and then clasped her hands together eagerly waiting for approval.

"You... you look amazing Star. And he will think so too." She answered almost dejectedly.

"Oh Raven thank you! Are you sure it is not too much?" Starfire grabbed a handful of the dress and began swishing it around to inspect it further. Raven shook her head. "No, it's fine."

Starfire moved to hug her friend but quickly stopped remembering Raven's rather large dislike of physical affection.

"I cannot thank you enough." She said instead and made to leave. "I shall tell you all about our date when we return! Thank you Raven, you have been most helpful!" The red-haired girl flew down the hallway yelling behind her, the green dress billowing out gracefully.

_'Please don't Star... I don't think I can do it.'_ The empath slowly retreated and the door slid back into place. After sitting down on the edge of her bed, Raven glanced at the clock for the hundreth time that day, reading 6:05pm. Robin and Starfire's reservations at a local restaurant were made for 6:30pm. She groaned outload, tangling a hand in her deep violet hair.

_'I promised myself, and here I am... counting down.'_ She dared to wonder if their leader was looking forward to it. But of course, he should be. Everyone new since the creation of the team that Rob and Star had a small thing for each other. She was an exotic alien with candor and an innocence none compared to. Robin, in one word, was a hero. A hero with all the good qualities one can possess. It's the way of the world; good attracts good, light attracts light, and dark attracts...

_'Exactly...'_ Raven hung her head in despair. These feelings were becoming too much too fast. How could this have happened? She was practically the princess of darkness who was falling for someone representing all that is good. Perhaps that is not how her teammates viewed her, but after all they've been through, after witnessing the kind of power she possessed and disaster she can wrought, Raven knew deep down, somewhere very deep, they each feared her.

The thought was scary, ironically. Hurting her dearest friends is the last thing she would ever want. Hurting him... would be the death of her.

And then how do you explain the recent events? Turning 18 wasn't suppose to cause her powers to be taken. Turning 18 wasn't suppose to release the emotions deep within to wreak havoc on her life. Turning 18 wasn't suppose to cause such an affect on her fearless leader.

The bond between them was considerably stronger than ever before. Why and how were still a mystery to them both. But they are not alone... The day Myra came into their lives seemed so far away now, but after spending quality time with the child, Raven (and Robin for that matter), couldn't deny a strong familiar pull towards her.

Raven laid back on the bed, feeling the weight of her thoughts. Tired, she closed her eyes and attempted to empty her mind. Within seconds her eyes flashed open and sprung up into a sitting position in apparent fright. However, Raven had nothing to fear. It was what she _felt_ that sent her up.

_'That feeling again...'_ The faces of Robin and Myra pulsated through her head until Raven put shaky hands over her ears and tried steadying it. It was difficult trying to decipher the ongoing feelings when there were myriad possibilities coming up.

Raven decided to try again, to empty her mind and concentrate. The feeling was almost instant and there were two distinct pulls with their own unique signature. In her mind's eye, the feeling looked like two thick cords stretching horizontally and closely paralleled. They were even color coded; Robin's was green and Myra's was blue. Despite it's oddity, it made perfect sense to her. The cords were representing the new connection between the three of them, unusually strong and undeniably present. Not only did it make sense to her, it felt... right.

Then she noticed how the cords seemed to be pulsating dark colors down the length of it. They were both emitting waves of despair and oddly... regret. Raven absently cocked her head to the side confused. Shouldn't Robin be feeling happy about his special night? Why would Myra be feeling regretful? Maybe she had it backwards... perhaps in liu of everything, the chaos of it all has scrambled her own perceptions and feelings. It wasn't a bad explanation but is it possible that she was overlooking something or looking too hard? What exactly was she looking for?

_'I lose my powers and gain... whatever this is? Arella failed to mention this possibility.'_

Raven laid back and sighed. _'Will I ever get them back?'_

A sudden sound jolted the girl but she relaxed when she realized someone had knocked on the door. Perhaps Starfire needed advice on what shoes to wear now... great. When Raven let the door open, it wasn't Starfire standing on the other side.

"Say 'cheese'!" A white light filled the hallway and spilled into Raven's room for a brief moment. As sight began to slowly come back to the empath, she attempted to reach out and grab whoever did this to her. She blinked a few times until something green and black came into view. Beastboy was holding a large black camera wrapped around his neck and wearing a lofty grin.

"What was that for?" She growled. Beastboy put a hand behind his head showing his discomfort, his grin pulling down a bit.

"Well, uh, Starfire wanted pictures of her and Robin's "first date," and I thought it'd be cool to get everyone's photo. You know, to capture the moment."

Raven stared at the far wall behind Beastboy, lost in thought. A vile emotion threatened to riot inside of her, but she carefully kept it at bay. Finally shaking her thoughts away, her eyes landed on the object hanging around Beastboy's neck.

"Isn't that Cyborg's camera?" She questioned suspiciously. Beastboy seemed to pale a little and gave a weak laugh.

"Aha, wha- this old thing?"

"THERE YOU ARE!" Boomed a voice down the hallway. Cyborg had appeared as if on cue, and was apparently furious. Beastboy let out a squeal and began racing away from the angry half robot.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here you little weasel!" Said robot zoomed past the unimpressed sorceress yelling out insults and threats.

Raven sighed and stepped out of her room. "Better make sure they don't kill each other. Or worse, destroy the tower." Her feet traveled slowly towards the mostly rebuilt common room, but when the double doors slid away from each other, she immediately regretted the decision to leave her room.

A lean figure, draped in a sharp black suit stood rigidly next to a bubbling Starfire. His hands were clasped in front of him instead of holding his date, looking morbidly handsome. When they locked eyes, never did Raven wish so hard to melt into the floor and disappear at that moment. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but seemed to think better and closed it again. Whatever he wanted to say was then conveyed by a look from his mask-hidden eyes, as if he were apologizing for something. What that was exactly, Raven didn't know. Nor did she understand why she'd receive such a look at a moment like this. Robin should be all smiles, excited to say the least, but the man before her now showed signs of stress and a tenseness only seen while making a difficult decision. The whole thing just looked... wrong, for lack of a better word.

Raven had finally moved towards the group trying desperately to keep her eyes off the Boy Wonder. She had to remain emotionless and calm, which was obviously becoming more and more frustrating to handle. Waves of regret and sympathy were rolling off the tuxedo clad man in detail so clear that Raven was sure the others could sense it. But one glance around determined that to be false.

"Alright you two, just one more, say 'I got a date!'" Cyborg sang a little too excitedly. Starfire had wrapped her arms around one of Robin's and was grinning from ear to ear and occasionally fixing her hair. Beastboy stood close by and tried to give a few 'professional' tips about getting the perfect picture, forgetting he was next to a highly advanced half robot.

"I think we should be going." Robin spoke up, with not a hint of excitement in his voice.

"Yes it is time! We do not want to be late for our first date!" Squealed the alien as she began dragging him towards the garage where they will be taking the T-car, compliments of Cyborg.

Raven didn't notice a certain green changeling appear next to her until his voice interrupted her thoughts. "Hey Raven, why are you so quiet? Aren't you gonna wish them good luck?"

'Beastboy!'

The empath froze. Beastboy hadn't realized how loud his comment was, and the rest of the team stopped to look at her reaction. Starfire was beaming, Cyborg had a smile that said 'I-told-you-these-two-would-end-up-together,' Beastboy was expectant, and Robin... an expression so unreadable, she dare not glance back to further analyze it.

After a few moments passed, Raven realized she had yet to respond. She mentally cursed herself and put a hand behind her head out of embarassment. That was a mistake as well. The sorceress _never_ hesitated at doing something so simple, and surely never got embarassed in front of the team. This small act rendered questionable looks from the rest, so she had to say it quick before more time passed.

"Uh... good luck. You should go now... don't want to be late." The others eyed her for a moment and then went right back into their former gleeful selves, putting aside her unusual behavior. Well, all except one.

Robin and Starfire, along with Cyborg-turned-temporary-paparazzi, disappeared through the doors and made their way down to the garage. There, the robot proceeded to give detailed instructions on how to keep his 'baby' safe, and added a few threats in there just to be safe.

Robin started the car and let out a sigh. This was going to be a long night.

* * *

Although they had just left, Raven continued to stare at the common door in a sort of daze. Emotions were battling it out and for once Raven was relieved her powers were gone, lest the common room be destroyed again. But there was this ache now, something odd, something she didn't think she'd ever feel towards a member of the team, her best friend. It hurt and it felt a little bit like betrayal, yet it wasn't.

By now, though, the empath had finally let the reality of her 'feelings' set in where she could admit it... sort of. Denying that Robin was her dearest most precious friend was wrong, and denying that she may have certain feelings towards him only proved false.

If her powers hadn't decided to go MIA, these useless emotions wouldn't be wreaking havoc in her carefully controlled life. They have only managed her to cross lines and weaken barriers that she worked so diligently to create and fortify. Life, at this moment, truly sucked.

"Earth to Raaaaven!" A voice broke through the air to shake Raven out of her daydream. Beastboy was standing in front of her waving a green hand.

"What?" She answered trying to act normal.

"I asked what's going on with you." He said impatiently while putting both hands on hip.

"What do you mean?"

"You've just been acting weird lately, I mean... you know... weirder than normal." He mumbled the last part hoping she wouldn't hit him.

"I'm not exactly my normal self, remember?" Raven crossed her arms becoming a littled annoyed with the changeling.

"I know but it's not just your loss of powers, Raven. I've been noticing some changes and Cyborg says it's just because you can feel your emotions now without having to worry about blowing stuff up. But we think- I mean, I think there's something going on between you and Robin."

Raven caught her breath. "W-what?"

"We think you two might have had an argument or something because of how you guys have been acting around each other. And neither of you looked very happy tonight."

_'Robin and I arguing?'_

Raven wanted to chuckle and point out Beastboy's mistake but decided against it. _'Let them believe it.'_

"It's nothing to worry over." It was the end of the conversation, so Raven made to leave the room, but it wasn't that way for the green titan.

"But you two never argue! And what was it about? C'mon Raven tell me!" Beastboy's frantic pleas caused the purple-haired teen to turn around and glare at him.

"Forget it." She made to leave again but stopped when a thought flashed across her mind.

"Beastboy?"

"Uh, yeah?"

"Did you take a disc from Robin's desk?" Raven believe if anyone were to take something they weren't suppose to in the Tower, it'd most likely be Beastboy. Thus, the question deemed appropriate. Said person gave her a confused look.

"The disk from the H.I.V.E.?"

Raven nodded, and then the changeling shook his head earnestly. "I didn't take it. Is it lost? Did Robin lose it?"

"We're not sure what happened to it. So, if you see anything, let me know." And Raven left before he could answer.

By the time she entered her own room, Raven had come up with about two ideas on how to keep herself busy through what she knew was going to be a long evening. One; read her books. Two, talk to Myra. The child was genuinly interesting and a bit of fresh air from the others. Besides, Raven still had some questions to ask, even if she already knew the answers to them. Myra didn't know. Myra can't remember hardly anything. But perhaps by spending more time with the oddly familiar girl, Raven can get some sort of breakthrough and help understand her better. It was worth a try.

_'Where did I put...'_ Raven glanced at her nightstand and found what she'd been searching for. She held up the giftcard from Robin and for a second her lips pulled up into a slight smile.

A minute later, the dark teen stood in the doorway to the roof, looking around for someone. She closed her eyes, relaxed, and focused until a slight pull announced that Myra was still in the same spot she'd been when Raven left.

"Myra?" The onyx-haired girl turned from her sitting position and smiled. The atmosphere around her instantly brightened, Raven noticed how dreary it just was, but chose to make no comment.

"Hey Raven. The sun's just going down and I love sunsets. Want to join me?"

"I was going to ask if you wanted to join me." Raven replied with a slight smile.

"Join you for what?" Myra asked.

"You love to read, don't you?" Raven inquired, remembering how she caught the little girl in her room uninvited _and_ reading one of her dark books. Myra nodded.

"There's a bookstore in the city I love to visit. And I have this giftcard that needs to be used."

Myra's face broke into a wide grin and nodded vigorously. "I wanna go!" She squealed childlike.

Suppressing a chuckle, Raven led them inside the Tower. As much as Myra behaves and converses like an adult, there is still an eight year old child underneath. It was the normalcy of Myra's gleeful reaction that gave Raven more incentive to figure her out and possibly help her achieve a normal childhood.

Now would be the perfect time to have the ability to transport, though. Getting into the city now had an annoying roadblock with Raven's traveling abilities rendered nonexistent. Shewasn't the type to take her powers for granted, even though most of the time she viewed them as a curse, but on more than one occasion they were blessings. And she sure wished she had them now, because the T-car was currently unavailable.

So how in the world were they going to the book store?

Raven and Myra walked into the common room searching for Cyborg. The half robot was sitting on the new couch in front of a new flat screen t.v. playing some game with Beastboy, and at the looks of it, an intense competition was underway. As usual.

"Cyborg." Raven said.

"Yeah, Rae?" He answered, eyes glued to the t.v., hands savagely pushing the controller buttons.

"We need a ride to town."

"No can do. T-car's gone." He answered back in an almost dazed voice, too concentrated on the game.

"I know. Do you have any other means of transportation?" Raven said a little exasperated.

"Nope. Just Rob's motorcycle." He said. Raven rolled her eyes. If only she knew how to drive a motorcycle, she would. Then an idea hit her.

"Beastboy, do you think you could fly us there?"

"Eh... yeah... eh what?" Beastboy mumbled back, not fulling hearing what she had said, apparently occupied with the game as well. Raven sighed and stood in front of the screen, something she wouldn't normally do.

"Hey what's the-" Beastboy started to complain before Raven cut him off.

"Will you give us a ride?" She said sharply.

"A ride to where?"

"The book store." Raven crossed her arms waiting for a reply. Cyborg finally looked at the sorceress and frowned, putting the controller down.

"Just you two are going?"

"Yes." She replied. Didn't she imply that?

"Rae, I don't think that's a good idea. Robin told me to watch over you two, and letting you go alone out into the city while you are a primary target of the enemy is not smart on my part." Cyborg explained thoughtfully.

Raven forced herself not to roll her eyes. She could handle herself, she always was able to handle almost any situation thrown at her. But this time she had a small companion that needed protection with her, and being reckless wasn't an option.

"We'll take Beastboy." She stated. Said green teen jumped up from the couch in retaliation.

"Me? I don't wanna hang out in some old boring book store!" He squealed back. Cyborg shot him a warning look.

"Tonight you are."

Beastboy groaned and tossed the controller onto the couch. He didn't bother arguing because he knew he wouldn't win against his teammate. "Fine. Let's just get this over with." The dejected changeling said making his way outside while Raven and Myra followed silently. Once they were clear of the Tower, Beastboy transformed into a large pterodactyl and flew off into the city with two grateful passengers.

Meanwhile, Cyborg stared after them out the window. A knot had been growing in the pit of his stomach since Raven announced her plans. It meant he should've refused her. It meant that he wasn't comfortable with the whole thing, and new that if he were this bad, Robin would be much worse. He ran a hand over his head and placed it on the back of his neck out of habit whenever he became worried. He should let their leader know of the outing, but he didn't want to interrupt Rob and Star's first date, and besides, Beastboy went along as well. It shouldn't be a problem, he was sure they wouldn't be there for long, the sun had just set and stores don't usually close until about 8 or 9pm.

_'Just a few hours, Cyborg. Beastboy will take care of them. They're not that far... Everything will be fine.'_ The half human sighed and returned to the couch but didn't resume the game, nor did he make a move to do anything but sit there.

As much as he attempted to excuse the reasoning to let them all go, it didn't seem right. He just couldn't shake this feeling that something bad was going to happen.

**And that's chapter 12! You know, it's usually best to listen to our instincts, and in this case Cyborg may regret not listening to his. We shall see :) Review, my most loyal followers! And for those who just added this story to your list(s), thank you so much and I hope you continue to read and review. **


	13. Chapter 13: Attack & Retreat

**You did not notice that I haven't updated since last june... okay? Alright i'm sorry, I had a major prolonged session of writer's block and life just got in the way. So I made this chapter twice as long as my other ones to hopefully make up for my lack of discipline. **

**Caution: May contain spelling errors and other nonsense.**

Chapter 13: Attack & Retreat

"But do we reeeaally have to go in?"

"That's the whole point of coming here."

"But... I mean it's so boring! Could we- what if- can't we just-"

"Unless you don't want the use of all your limbs, I suggest you quit complaining Beastboy." Raven huffed. She should've began the threats the moment they left, ever since their green Titan decided to make his opinions known. Apparently he has an endless supply of them.

"Come on Beastboy, we can find something for you too." Myra chipped in while poking his arm. "How about something to do with animals?"

Beastboy raised his eyebrow giving the small girl a slight frown. "My name isn't _'Beastboy'_ for nothin', why should I read about an animal when I can just transform into one?"

Myra thought for a minute, noting it was a good point.

"But a lid on it Beastboy, we're about to go in." Raven commanded. She walked ahead of them and entered the large building, closely followed by the other two. Once they were inside, a small woman sitting at a desk near the front stood up.

"This store will be closing in twenty minutes." She announced.

Raven spared her a look and continued to walk towards the back of the store, "That's all we need."

"Wow i've never seen so many books in one place!" Myra exclaimed picking up a book in each hand. One featured a picture of a fearsome wolf with glowing red eyes staring out from a creepy looking forest titled 'Black Wolf Forrest.' The other had bright colors and a bunch of furry kittens on it that titled 'Kittens 101.'

"They're so many different books here!" She added. Beastboy came up behind her as he tossed a small orange book to the side.

"Duh. Haven't you ever been in a library? They have way more than this." He waved his arms around until a large dictionary hit him in the head causing him to yelp out. Myra looked around and saw Raven with a hand on her hip holding a slight smirk.

"And how would you know, Beastboy? They day you walk into a real library is the day i'll start wearing pink." She said. Myra giggled and asked if he was okay, but only got a grumbled response. Raven rolled her eyes and continued weaving in and out of aisles until she reached the desired section; Romance.

She began pulling out books, reading the backs of them, putting them back, and moving on. The type of book she was searching for had to have two requirements. One: it had to be based on romance. Two: it had to be dark, like a mystery, but because a lot of mysteries are lame and easy to figure out, it took longer to find the perfect book. After about fifteen minutes Raven had managed to find something she believed to be worth while. The book was thick and she held it tight against her chest as a sad expression donned her usual stoic face.

The plot took place in futuristic times with the main character as a young girl who is deemed dangerous by the controlling government and want her destroyed. However, she befriends a young man who turns out to be the country's most sought after hero who believes there is more to her than her deadly powers. Together they make a most formidable team chasing down criminals and keeping peace all to prove the innocence of the girl. It's definitely a love story but not necessarily a dark mysterious one. Yet, after reading the summary and a few chapters, Raven couldn't help but become enthralled and somewhat shaken. Barely noting that it slightly resembled her own life and struggles.

She shook her head. _'It's just a really good story. It has nothing to do with my life...'_

Somehow, at the bottom of her own conscious and heart, she knew it not to be true.

"Hey Raven, you done yet? I'm hungry." Beastboy declared as he and Myra stepped into the aisle with her, breaking her from her thoughts. But before she could answer, the green changeling pointed a finger and began smirking once he realized what section they were in.

"Haha, I didn't know you liked reading romance novels. I thought all that lovey-dovey stuff made you sick. Wait till I tell Cyborg!"

Myra looked from the smirking boy to the now seething girl. "Uh... Beastboy?" Once again Raven threw another book at him, except it was a much larger encyclopedia this time, which knocked him completely to the floor.

Raven then turned her attention the the girl and asked, "Do you want anything? I have a giftcard." Myra widened her amethyst eyes and diligently shook her head. "No no, it's okay. Besides, compared to the ones you have in your room, these are boring."

Myra smiled and Raven nodded her head and then looked towards Beastboy who was just picking himself off of the floor. He swooned a little on his feet but managed to stand up straight. "Boy Raven, you're still really scary without your powers-"

Raven hissed suddenly, her eyes widening. He seemed to not realize what he just blurted out. The empath quickly closed the gap between them and quietly pointed out his error and the reason he should never ever say that in public again. Luckily, Beastboy caught on and sincerily apologized, to which she forgave him, but not after glancing around to make sure no one had heard.

"We're going home now." She stated, and the three of them headed to the front counter.

Downtown Jump City:

"Here you go miss."

"It smells absolutely glorious!" Squealed an excited Starfire. "Isn't this all wonderful, Robin?"

The sharply dressed figure sitting opposite of the bubbling titan could only 'hn' in response and manage a short _'thank you'_ to the waiter who just presented them their food. Waves of aroma gently hit him and he inwardly agreed with Starfire's first exclamation. However, this wasn't all wonderful. He liked Star, at least he thought he did, and perhaps some part of him still did. She was innocent, positive, funny, and determined to always do the right thing, which were her admirable traits. Robin looked around the room noncholantly.

Fact is, there isn't one guy in the room who wouldn't kill to have a chance with the exotic alien. Starfire deserved to be loved and adored, but he felt it could no longer come from him. At least, not in the romantic sense.

"Robin?" Starfire's voice poked through his thoughts. "You are not eating."

The titan leader glanced down and realized his fork was in his hand but had yet to touch the food in front of him.

"Oh, yeah, sorry. It all looks so good I didn't know where to start." He quickly recovered, giving the girl a less than genuine smile. She took no notice of his half-hearted reply and continued to dive into her meal.

Robin absently took a few bites and once again allowed his mind to veer in the direction of another teen titan member. His day-dreaming habits were starting to become a problem when her image continued to bombard his mind at every hour of the day. Especially now that he was out with Starfire and no where near the dark girl, which became more and more unsettling as the seconds ticked on the clock. He replayed the scene back at the tower again, the moments before Starfire and him left.

_'Raven...'_ He thought. _'Why can't I figure you out? That sense I felt from you...' What exactly was it?_

Robin furrowed his brows in frustration at his inability to decifer his teammate. Even becoming slightly angry at allowing his heart to feel for her when reality rushes back to remind him of the impossible. So he refused to acknowledge what his heart already felt. Refused to bring Raven's odd feelings to life. Refused to decode the message behind the expression she had given him. He would refuse it all. His common sense began flipping through the last few days in an attempt to build up a stronger basis on why his emotions towards the dark teen have become unreadable and unpredictable.

It started with Slade, as many things did. Targeting Raven for the second time without even a hint of reason. As if Robin weren't already protective enough over her...

It followed with threats. Then they attacked their beloved home in an attempt to hurt her, which unfortunately succeeded. Her coma turned into a fight for life, scaring every single titan who had never seen such a strong member brought down so hard.

Yet, a miracle happened and Raven survived and awakened. But the celebration was short lived when they realized her catastrophic powers had vanished completely without explanation, and a gloom set over the team.

From that point on, Robin felt the bond they shared transform into something beyond words, beyond normal expression. Also, it nearly becomes too much when Myra is near. That child without a doubt is connected to Raven and himself, in what way, is still unsure to both of them.

These new mysteries, Slade's return, his new obsession over Raven, her missing powers, the familiar child, new puzzling feelings for-

"Robin, are you listening?" A voice from across the table spoke up, and lifted his attention once again.

"Yeah Star, i'm sorry." He replied suddenly feeling guilty when a look of hurt spread over her face. "I didn't mean to space out, I just have a lot of things on my mind."

"It's okay, I understand."

_'Damn,'_ he mentally slapped himself. _'They're right, I do analyze things too much.'_

Book Store, West Jump City:

The trio had finished their purchases just as the store was closing and stepped outside. Beastboy sighed in relief, "man, i'm glad we're out of there. Next time, it's Cyborg's turn."

As Raven failed to reply to his remark, Myra spoke up. "And where would you prefer to go?"

"The video game store, of course!" He exclaimed.

They had begun to walk down the small street to the end of the block where a quaint little shop held Raven's prized teas, to which she was nearly out of at the tower. It was an older part of Jump City with a handful of odd stores weighed down with time and less visitors compared to the enormous downtown shopping center. Raven also appreciated that it was near the waterfront with its own little grassy area to relax in; a great place to not be bothered.

Only a tip of the sun was left floating over the horizon, still attempting to throw its last rays of orange light onto the darkening city. It was a magnificent sight, but by the time they reached the end of the block, the sun had completely disappeared.

Raven reached the door and turned to her two companions, "I'll just be a minute."

Myra nodded as Beastboy prodded on about the advantages of being a 'pro gamer.'

Inside, as the clerk retrieved and packaged the special ordered teas, Raven let her mind wonder to a certain black-haired leader. It was almost by accident, but she couldn't help but think about how his night was going with... his date. Her heart tightened at the sight of them sitting in a posh restaurant throwing flirtatious glances and discussing how perfect they are for each other.

_'I came here to get him off my mind...'_ but it wasn't working.

"Here you go miss. That comes out to eighteen dollars." The clerk held out her bag as he received the payment in the other.

_'This is ridiculous. I_ **have**_ to stop thinking about him!'_ She thought frustratingly as she stepped out of the store. Myra and Beastboy were sitting on a wooden bench on the opposite side of the small street engaged in conversation. Night had fully fallen and it was time to go home.

As Raven was about to step from the sidewalk a strong sensation coursed through her body and she froze.

Beastboy stopped mid-sentenced when Myra sucked in a breath and stiffened. He noticed Raven standing several feet away, donning the same fearful face.

"H-hey. What's going on with you two?" He looked all around the area but saw no hint of a threat. He stood up to speak again when the sound of bursting glass echoed up the street. The three of them looked on as the street lamps mysteriously burst out of light one by one, quickly plunging the deserted* street into darkness. When it stopped, only one lamp was left to light the area in front of the tea store.

The hairs on the back of Beastboy's neck stood up on end. This place suddenly felt very dangerous. Along with Raven, he instinctively stepped into a fighting stance.

_'We can't run into trouble now.'_ She thought fearfully.

Out of the darkness there came an all too familiar chilling voice, "I have to say, finding you here has been the easiest thing i've done all week."

The owner of the voice stepped into the light to be met with gasps and death glares.

"Slade." Beastboy seethed. _'Crap. Raven has no powers and Myra's just a little girl. I can't take him down on my own. I have to call Cyborg.'_

Beastboy reached for his communicator but screeched when it was knocked out his hand by some kind of object flying too fast to see.

"I wouldn't do that." Threatened Slade. "We can't have unwanted guests now, can we?" He began to close the gap between them when Raven finally found her voice.

"What do you want? You've been toying with us this whole time."

"It's what I do best."

Raven glared and moved in front of her friends. "My father is gone. The prophecy no longer exists. My powers are useless to you. What else could you possibly want with me?"

Myra shivered behind Beastboy, feeling waves of anger sweep over the dark teen. Despite her lack of powers, she looked ready to fight for all of them no matter the outcome. The kid knew they were in deep trouble without the aid of the other Titans, so Myra closed her eyes and concentrated on sending a stress signal to the leader, praying desperately that by some miracle he'd sense their danger. If she's able to feel his most strongest emotions, then it should be vice-versa... right?

Slade stared amusedly at Raven and chuckled. "I must admit, Raven. There is something different about you this time."

Raven masked her look of surprise. There was no way he could've found out about her 'disadvantage.'

"I'm just the same as before. And I will not let you hurt my friends." She asserted.

"Strong words... coming from someone without her powers." Came Slade's sardonic reply. Raven, Beastboy, and Myra gasped in shock.

'_How did he find out?'_ Raven's mind yelled in disbelief.

"It's quite curious that you'd come into the city without any protection, Raven." Slade chided, enjoying the different emotions crossing each of their faces.

Apparently a little offended, Beastboy puffed out his chest and pointed to himself, "dude, that's where _I_ come in! And there's no way i'm letting you near them!"

Raven took his little distraction as a chance to use her own communicator to alert the others. But when she opened it, a steel boot knocked the device from her hand, and then swung around again to collide with her stomach that sent her skidding to the ground.

"RAVEN!" Shouted Beastboy and Myra in unison.

Downtown Jump City:

Robin jumped in his seat as if he had been electrocuted, and let his fork clang onto his barely eaten dinner plate. The sudden movement and noise earned a few rude looks from nearby guests and definitely startled Starfire.

"Robin? Are you alright?"

He couldn't respond right away. His body had gone rigid and his eyes stared wide into space like he were listening for something. Just a few seconds before, he could've sworn he felt a despairing pull from Myra, but shrugged it off thinking he was just being extra paranoid. But when he practically _heard_ Raven's cry through their bond, he knew something was terribly wrong.

Without acknowledging Starfire's concern, he flipped out his communicator. "Raven, come in." He tried keeping his voice calm and steady but it came out a little more desperate than intended.

Nothing but static.

He tried again. He tried Beastboy. But nothing.

"Robin, what is going on?" Starfire asked, becoming increasingly nervous with him. "We have to go." He only answered, and then left the table followed by a very confused alien. Once they were in the T-car, which was being reluctantly borrowed from Cyborg, he clenched the device.

"This is Robin, Cyborg are you there?" The face of the half-robot appeared on the screen and replied, "Cy here, what's up?"

"Where's Raven?" He nearly demanded.

"She, BB, and Myra went to Old Jump City Waterfront to get some books and stuff. They should be back here any minute."

"You left Beastboy to protect them both!" Robin couldn't help but to raise his voice. If Raven and Myra were in danger, they needed to find them now! Cyborg had a sudden sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"Hey man, what's going on? I'll try calling BB-"

"I already did. No one's answering." Robin interjected, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. From downtown it was at least a seven minute drive to the waterfront area. Too long.

"I'll meet you there." A serious Cyborg said, then hung up. _'Man... if something has happened to any of them... i'll never forgive myself._'

"Starfire." The leader was attempting to cleverly maneuver around the evening traffic, which was no easy feat with the big bulky T-Car. "Can you lift us out of this mess?"

She nodded and flew out of the window to pick up the car. But the moment she left, Robin gripped his forehead in pain and suddenly felt sick. Raven's voice was calling his name through their bond and someone was causing her pain.

"Raven!" He gasped. He should have never left her alone.

"I'm on my way. Just hold on..."

Waterfront:

"Myra! Run!" Beastboy cried as he transformed into a tyrannosaurus and charged at Slade. He almost had him pinned until Slade jumped out of the way who also had to repeat his actions as a large green tail attempted to swipe him off the ground. Beastboy groaned in frustration.

Meanwhile, Myra had rushed over to Raven who started to get back up. She wasn't about to play helpless. Robin taught her well in the martial arts, and made sure she was always up to par even with the possession of powers that didn't make hand-to-hand combat very common. She just hoped she had the physical strength to give Slade a challenge.

"Are you okay?" She asked the little girl who was clearly shaken. "Y-yeah... and you?"

Raven didn't answer. She was looking for Slade, who had conveniently disappeared into the darkness. Typical.

Beastboy changed into a green bat and hovered in the air throwing out sonars to locate him in the shadows. Suddenly, one of the street lamps shot out from the dark, hitting the changeling dead on and sending him careening towards a concrete wall in his human form. The wall crumbled from the impact and enclosed the green titan.

"Beastboy!" Raven cried out and watched helplessly as her only protector blacked out.

Slade stepped back into the clearing and slowly sauntered towards the two girls. "Now that we are finally alone, we can discuss the issues at hand."

Raven pushed Myra behind her. "Whatever it is, Myra has no reason to be here. Then we'll talk."

"Interestingly, the girl has more to do with this than you realize." Slade countered, stopping just a few feet from them. Raven narrowed her eyes as she thought of the implications of that statement.

"Why have you been after us?"

"It's been about a year since we last had a one-on-one, Raven. Your birthday, the prophecy, Trigon's rise-"

"What does my father have to do with this?" Raven interrupted clearly irritated.

"Actually, nothing." He answer quite matter-of-factly. "His absence from you makes all this much more easier for me."

The empath's eyes roved over the area to find a weapon of some kind to use against him while he talked. Anything is better than nothing. She couldn't hope to defeat him with fists alone.

Hopefully the rest of the Titans were already on their way to give them backup. She peered towards the pile of rubble that held an unconscious Beastboy. She needed Robin.

"You seem distracted. Let me help" Slade collided his fist with Raven's stomach and sent her flying back again.

"No!" Myra screeched through her tears.

No scream escaped the dark girl's lips, only gasps of breath from having the wind completely knocked out of her. Despite the pain, she lifted herself on her arms to face the advancing criminal.

"Hiring the H.I.V.E..." she choked out, "the bomb... the bank... leaving Myra with us... why?"

Slade seemed pleased with the question and stopped. "The H.I.V.E. were merely a distraction. The bomb was to get your attention, and as for the girl... I'm quite surprised you haven't figured it out yet."

Raven clenched her hands into fists and sprung from the ground towards Slade. "Enough!" She threw a punch meant for the face, but an armored hand caught her wrist in one smooth motion. He smirked slightly in the heat of those deadly amethyst eyes.

"What is your game, _Slade_." Raven tried hard not to let the pain from his tight grip show through. It was imperative that she not look weak in front of the enemy.

"Not a game." He leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You are going to help me become the most powerful human on earth. I suppose you can say that you'll be the key to bringing about the end of the world... again."

Raven had frozen in place, listening to his haunting words that filled her entire being with dread. He continued, "As in the days of Terra's reign, so will it be ten times over when I'm through with you."

Before Raven could register his last words, Slade twisted her arm, forcing her to turn around while he gripped her other arm. Memories from last year shot through her mind as she found herself in the same vulnerable position.

"Look around you, Raven. In less than 24 hours, all you see will be no more. The city will fall to its knees, the Titans will be annihilated, and all will bow to me. Everyone will say 'Long... Live... Slade!'"

Disgust boiled in the pit of the teen's stomach from the vile words coming from Slade's mouth. There's no way in hell she'll let any of that happen!

"We _will_ stop you." She assured. Slade remained silent, only tightening his grip. Myra, who had been standing out of the way in fear, slowly pulled out an object from her coat pocket.

She stifled her sobs enough to say in a low voice, "Don't hurt her. I-I'll break it..."

Raven lifted her head to stare confusedly at the small child, but once she caught sight of the object Myra was holding, she sucked in a breath.

"Myra? Where... how did..." She was at a loss for words. Slade stiffened from behind her when a small beeping sound went off from his wrist.

"It seems i've run out of time." He glanced from the girl in his grasp to the child holding up the precious object with the intent to destroy it, knowing he needed both things to carry out his plan. Making his mind up a split second later, he released his grip on Raven and retracted his arm to rip something off his belt. With it, he clubbed it hard against the back of Raven's head. She swayed for a second and fell to the hard ground, unconscious.

The last thing she heard was a high-pitched scream and the sound of star bolts vibrating the earth upon impact, and then the darkness consumed her.

_'Robin...'_

In the Air:

Starfire hauled the T-car over the last few buildings until the waterfront area came into view, which she then hastily set it back on asphalt and raced toward the disturbing scene she discovered from the air. Robin practically leapt from the car, drawing his bo staff and raced toward the figures at the end of the street.

The Titan leader was seeing red. Slade had Raven in his clutches and he had obviously hurt her. This was something Robin swore he'd never allow again, he swore to protect Raven at all costs, and she trusted him.

Suddenly, Slade disappeared, then reappeared in front of Myra and grabbed her around the waist while she screamed out, just as Starfire's bolts blasted behind him. Robin pushed his feet against the ground as hard as he could to reach them in time, but the enemy had already retreated through the dusty air.

"Myra!" He yelled after them, but only silence echoed. Starfire flew above the area to search for them at the same time that Cyborg appeared.

"Whoa." The half-robot gasped as his eyes raked over the battle scene.

"Starfire, do you see anything?" The leader asked, still set in a fighting stance. The alien shook her head, "No..."

"Cyborg, can you get a lock on Myra?"

The robot scanned the panel on his right arm. "Nothing. There's no trace of her anywhere."

Robin tightened his grip on the bo staff, beyond frustrated. He was then startled when the pile of rubble nearby began to shake and move until a large green gorilla pushed it all off as if they were weightless.

"Beastboy!" Cyborg shouted and rushed over to his friend who had collapsed to all fours in his human shape.

"You okay, man?" The robot quickly scanned for injuries as the changeling groaned.

"W-where's Myra?"

Cyborg's face fell as he softly replied, "She's gone. Slade took her."

Shock spread over Beastboy's face as his injuries were temporarily forgotten. "What about-!"

"Raven!" The three male Titans spun around to see Starfire land next to a cloak-covered body. Robin's heart dropped and his legs immediately felt like jell-o, but he rushed over to her and dropped to his knees by her side. Cyborg followed closely behind, his scanners already searching for injuries.

"Is she...?" Starfire began, but couldn't bear the thought of finishing that sentence.

"No." Cyborg answered. "She's alive but unconscious."

Robin took his hand and gingerly moved purple strands away from her face. "Raven..."

"My scanners say that she has a fractured rib, wrist, and skull. I think she could have a severe concussion."

As if he were thinking the same thing, Robin placed a gloved hand on the back of Raven's head. When he withdrew it, the entire team inhaled sharply. Blood.

"We have to get her to the infirmary." Robin said in a hard voice. The others nodded and Cyborg ran to bring the T-car around.

Very gently, Robin placed his arms under the girl and picked her up slowly, bridal style. He was careful not to put any pressure on the back of her head.

Cyborg drove up and waited until the rest of the team was safely inside, before driving towards Titan Tower as efficiently and cautious as possible.

In the back seat, Robin still held the unconscious girl.

_'Raven... you don't deserve any of this. I'm so sorry...'_ He pulled her closer to him and didn't look away from her for the duration of the drive back.

Inside the T-car, not a word was spoken, and all was silent. Each of them with their own thoughts and feelings, recounting the incident over and over again, wondering if they truly did all they could.

Myra was gone and two Titans were severely attacked. What could've happened if they had been but a minute later?

As each Titan mused over the new turn of events, there was a solid mutual feeling and understanding between them, an undeniable emotion that coursed through their veins. A broken tower made of only metal, robbed banks filled with thin green paper, jewelry stores emptied of mere rocks, criminals only after earthly treasures are just the many things they've had to go up against, but which have never stuck deep. They were only things.

A loved human being had no price but the most precious value.

This went beyond personal. This struck the very heart of the Teen Titans.

As Robin held the dark girl, one thing was for certain... Slade was going to pay.

**Next chapter: The team tries to track down Slade, meanwhile Raven and Robin have more one-on-one time. Slade tries to come after Raven again but the team is extra prepared, but will it be enough? **


	14. Chapter 14: Guilty

**Thank you all for the amazing reviews, I love you all so much! I really enjoyed writing this chapter because there's more one-on-one time with Rae&Rob, and I know my loyal readers will appreciate that. :D**

Chapter 14: Guilty

"You were going to betray me." A cold voice echoed through the palpable darkness of a windowless room.

"You were going to destroy my plans." Heavy footsteps, slow and deliberate, advanced on a small huddling form.

"No... I..." A small high-pitched voice barely stuttered above the echoes. Myra hugged herself against the dark room, her body racked with fear.

And when the footsteps finally ceased not but a few inches before her, she couldn't help but let a few tears escape.

By the very faint outline of the figure, she could tell he had lowered himself to one knee so that they were almost at eye level. She held her breath.

What was he going to do to her? Punish her? Kill her?

"Myra." He said. "That was a mistake."

She didn't even have time to react when she felt a hard prick on the side of her neck. Whatever Slade had apparently injected into her, it worked instantaneously, for Myra began to feel lightheaded and dizzy. Another few seconds went by and she fell to the floor limp.

* * *

"It's all my fault, isn't it? I'm the reason this happened."

Cyborg regarded his best friend as he entered the messy room, and for once suppressed the normal urge to berate the green titan for negligence of the haphazard space. He handed him a cup of steaming liquid, medicine for the migraine Beastboy caught from being knocked out, and sat down.

"It's not your fault, B. I should've gone with my instincts and said 'no.'"

Beastboy downed the drink without so much as a wince, and disgarded the mug to the side. Cyborg lifted an eyebrow. "That drink was really hot."

"I don't care. It's not nearly the amount of pain I caused everyone." Beastboy responded dejectedly, and continued to stare at the floor.

Sighing, Cyborg said, "I was the one Robin left in charge of everyone, not you. If I hadn't of let you go, none of this would've happened."

"You weren't there!" Beastboy cried, slamming his fists on the bed. "I was suppose to protect them! Robin trusted you, and you trusted me, and I failed! You just... don't understand! They could be dead because of me!"

Cyborg stared in a mixture of surprise and wonder. It's not often the changeling displayed himself in such a passionate manner when his overly zealous love for the comic spotlight dominated his personality.

Beastboy buried his face in his hands and nearly looked like he was sobbing.

"B..." Cyborg was finding it difficult to console him. Usually, Beastboy did all the cheering up in this place, even when no one laughed. "None of us could've known what was going to happen. And you're lucky you weren't hurt even more, or worse killed."

"They probably hate me. I wouldn't be surprised if Robin barges in and throws me out right now." Beastboy said through his fingers. "He should."

"You know for a fact Robin would never do that. But I can't say I thought the same just a little bit ago." Cyborg replayed the conversation between Raven and himself right before they left and searched his brain and wiring for the reason he didn't listen to his gut. His decision alone cost them all, despite what Robin said.

"The truth is, B, Robin doesn't blame either of us. Instead, he's kicking himself hard for leaving tonight. He blames himself, not that that's a surprise. And if I know Raven, she wouldn't want us to be sulking around doing nothing."

Beastboy lifted his head, "and what about Myra? She-"

"She's alive, Beastboy, and we're going to find her. We have to be strong for them now."

A long silence followed as Beastboy let Cyborg's words sink deep into him. He was right. Despite the negative emotions writhing in the pit of his stomach, it didn't do Raven and Myra any good. He still planned on begging for forgiveness though and could care less if Raven never let's him forget the image of him crawling on his hands and knees. In fact, he hoped she did! They meant everything to him, they were friends, they were family, they were the future. He promised himself he'd work harder than ever and do anything to help protect Raven and get Myra back. He finally sighed, raked a hand through his unkept hair, and looked up.

"How is she?"

Being pulled out his inner musings, Cyborg opened his eyes and answered, "she's stable. Robin's with her. And knowing him, he'll be motivating her subconscious to wake up in no time."

Beastboy visibly relaxed, realizing that Raven was always safest when their leader was around. Robin cared about everyone and was especially protective of the girls. But ever since the Trigon incident, Robin seemed to become even more protective of the empath. And now with the new terrifying events, 'protective' was an understatement.

"Well," Cyborg started. "I think i'll go check on her again. Attempt to get our fearless leader to sleep a while. Speaking of which, you should get some rest B. That doesn't mean going into the computer room and playing video games for the rest of the night, got it?" He crossed his arms and gave the green teen an i'll-beat-the-crap-out-of-you-if-you-don't-listen-to-me look.

Beastboy only chuckled and showed his robot friend he'd heed his word by lying back on his bed and closing his eyes. With a satisfied grin, Cyborg left.

* * *

IN THE INFIRMARY:

It was his fault, he knew it. After all they've been through together, with all the trust she put into him, he practically allowed her to fall into the hands of the enemy. And he was almost too late.

Robin couldn't even think about Myra right now. Everytime her face or her voice appeared in his head, the room would spin slightly and he'd nearly throw up. It almost felt like a piece of him, somewhere deep inside, died. It sounded cliché but he couldn't describe it any other way.

He glanced at the clock for the hundreth time; 2100. Raven has now been unconscious for nearly two hours. Tick, tick, tick, tick.

Robin's jaw tightened at the sound, so mocking in its beat. Lately, Raven's life seemed to be completely dependent on time itself. Slade put her on a countdown and Robin reciprocated the gesture.

"Come on Raven. Open your eyes." He politely demanded. _'I can't stand you being in this place again.'_

She didn't move. "Look... I'm... sorry. I shouldn't have left. It's my duty as leader to protect you, and I failed." He slightly cringed when the word 'duty' left his mouth leaving a bad after taste. It was more like a need. He needed Raven by his side. Their bond created a life-line, something that could never break, something so powerful and potent that threw fear into the leader's heart at the very thought of losing it. And he, much like the empath, didn't really do fear.

Without thinking, he reached for her hand and his heartbeat quickened. For some time now, he had been denying his own feelings for the sake of the team, for the sake of himself, and for the sake of her, scared of upsetting the balance they all worked so hard to achieve.

He was suppose to be in love with Starfire because... well... isn't that what was suppose to happen? Didn't everyone expect it?

Robin felt heat rise to his cheeks as he realized what he just thought. It wasn't verbally stated, but seeing it in a perfect sentence in his mind was enough. That threshold, previously believed to be completely out of reach, had now been crossed.

The only problem now was finding a way to make it known to her. Robin inwardly groaned at the new dilemma. Being the number one on every criminals' hit list in Jump City didn't mean a single thing when it came to proclaiming feelings for a fellow teammate. Although it ate him up inside, he had no choice but to set his desires aside because keeping Raven safe and searching for Myra were first priorities.

"Maybe when this is all over..." Robin gasped suddenly when a sharp pain tore through his head causing him to double over, hands clutched over his ears. An image appeared of a dark room seemingly empty and cold until a shape of a large human came into focus just mere inches away. Slade's face flashed into view along with another jolt of pain. Then, as quickly as it all began, the image dissipated as the pain faded away.

"Myra!" Raven gasped as she jerked awake and startled a disgruntled leader. "S-she's... in trouble." She went into a small fit of coughs.

Robin quickly collected himself and moved closer to the bed. "Raven," his soft voice made her still.

"W-why am I in the infirmary?" She seemed disoriented until she put a hand to her head and felt thin cloth. Realization dawned. Robin watched sympathetically as she silently processed everything.

"How are you feeling?"

She continued to explore the cloth which was wrapped completely around her head and made a face. She remembered Slade behind her and then a horrible pain to the back of her head. "Is it really that bad?"

Robin solemnly nodded.

"Where's Myra? What's happened to her? And Beastboy, is he okay?" The empath asked breathlessly.

_'Oh Robin no... don't give me that look...'_

"Beastboy's injuries weren't serious. And I think you already know what happened to Myra."

"She's still alive. I _felt_ her."

"So did I. And we're going to find her, Raven. We're going to find her and make sure Slade never hurts anyone ever again." He placed a hand on her shoulder delicately and spoke with confidence that was just so _him_.

They lingered in each other's stare for a few moments, Raven searching his for strength and he searching hers for hope. Ever since the team was formed, Raven can always remember Robin always being there for her, always reliable, always willing to help. And what were the words he used to describe her last year? '_"You don't realize it, Raven, but you're the most hopeful person I know."'_

Hope. She unknowingly inspired him. Now it was time to live up to expectations, to erase all doubts, and draw on those hopeful tendencies.

Raven looked down suddenly interested in her hands, remembering something. "Robin?" She held her voice just above a whisper. "I'm... sorry. For ruining your night."

_'Starfire must be disappointed.'_

Robin removed his hand from her shoulder and sat on the edge of the bed flashing her an incredulous look. "Sorry? Raven, that's the last thing I'm thinking about! Besides, you're completely incapable of doing such a thing."

Raven felt her cheeks heat up as he smiled, and once again, cringed as something was bound to blow up, but it never came. Having no powers that freak out on emotions definitely came in handy at a time like this.

"But if I hadn't convinced Cyborg to let us leave, we wouldn't be in this position now." She pointed out apologetically while placing a hand on the side of her head, feeling the cloth wrap. _'What a mess you've made, Raven. You'll be lucky if they forgive you for being so reckless.'_

The Titan's leader felt her mood deepen and he searched for the right words to lift her spirits, something, anything, as long as he didn't have to see that look of guilt and remorse on her porcelain face. He realized that her emotions were becoming more profound the longer she went without her powers, where before, he had to rely on excessive analyzing of her miniscule facial expressions to determine what she was thinking and feeling. That was no picnic, but it got easier with time.

In a slightly daring move, that the Boy Wonder failed to regard as such, he reached out to grab the hand that Raven put to her head, and held it with a firm-but-gentle grasp. This earned him a bewildered look.

"The blame is on me. I knew going out was a bad idea but I went anyway when I should've stayed here to make sure you were safe." He shamefully confessed.

She listened quietly but her gaze lingered on their hands. This is twice that he's displayed this specific 'affection' outside of the battlefield, and she had to force down a shudder* at the clear memory.

Tearing her eyes away she countered, "but Cyborg and Beastboy were here. Surely I'm safe with them." Of course they were completely trustworthy, but having Robin around always made things better and easier.

The dark haired teen put his free hand on the back of his neck in a nervous manner. Funny... the act of fidgeting didn't exist in this guy's DNA, and that's why Raven raised an eyebrow in response. He appeared to be struggling with what to say next.

"Yes, you _are_ safe with them." He replied slowly. "But if the Tower was attacked by Slade or the HIVE again, and Star and I couldn't get to you on time... well... I haven't dared myself to think any further."

Raven shook her head. "You always blame yourself."

"I'm the leader of this team, therefore I take full responsibility for the safety of my teammates." He evenly argued.

"You're stubborn."

Robin chuckled. "You're one to talk."

Raven felt the corner of her mouth lift slightly in a smile as she felt heat rise to her face yet again. It was the way he smirked at her in that haughty but casual sort of way that set her emotions all ablaze. She tore her eyes away from his face only to land on their hands and then the air turned a little awkward. Attempting to end it, Raven slid her hand from under his to place it back on her head where she bitterly felt the cloth.

"Is this really necessary?"

It was tough not to comment on her cute expressions and relay how much he enjoyed bantering with her. The words were playing hide-and-seek in his brain and it was starting to become really annoying.

"For now." He responded with a shrug. "You got hit pretty hard. Cyborg has the ultimate say-so on your current status, so i'd take it up with him if you're so impatient to undress your wounds."

She tossed him an exasperated look. "I just want to get out of this room. I think i'm permanently imprinted into this bed."

Robin frowned at the fact that she's put in more hours in the infirmary than the rest of the team. She didn't deserve any of it. Compared to him, her other-worldy powers dominated his specialty hand-to-hand combat any day, and what more, it also outweighed Cyborg's latest technologies, blocked Starfire's bolts, and can change Beastboy's shape in a second. Technically, she was the strongest person on the team as far as magic powers go. To witness Raven stuck in her vulnerable position was unacceptable and nearly broke the leader's heart.

"Robin, what are we going to do?" Her sweet voice flowed through the silence, breaking Robin from his thoughts.

"About Myra." She clarified.

"We'll find her. I don't know how but for some reason, I feel as if saving her is everything. All this time that she's been with us, I never realized how attached i've become. This may sound a little strange but... I feel as if i've known her my whole life even though she's only eight. The moment I saw her, I felt this odd connection that I honestly can't explain and it only got stronger, coincidentally, right after you lost your powers."

_'How is it that Robin and I are the only ones with the same connection to one child?'_ Raven thought perplexed.

"I know you feel the same, Raven. I see how you two react to each other. And how can you explain the obvious connection?"

"I can't explain it. Using only my powers can I willingly bond with another person. It was purposeful with you, but she somehow got past all my barriers and now I can not only sense her, but feel what she's feeling. That in itself is a miracle." She stressed the last sentence with a hint of awe._ 'Actually, now that I think about it, I haven't had a chance to do any research. There has to be something in one of my books.'_

She slowly pulled the sheet off of her. _'I'm through being useless. If she can send me that image, perhaps I can find a way to reach her through my thoughts; figure out where she is and how to rescue her.'_

Robin didn't realize what she was doing until she swung her legs over the bed while pulling out the IV with one smooth motion. Raven, filled with determination, placed her feet on the cold tiled floor and took only two steps before she grasped her head and suddenly collapsed.

"Raven!" Luckily, Robin's reflexes compared to none as he sprung up to catch the falling girl. "You're obviously not well yet."

She gripped his arm, eyes squeezed shut while the spinning in her head slowed down. Maybe it was worse than she previously thought.

"I..." For at least the third time that evening, Raven felt her cheeks flush as she noticed Robin was still holding her, but it didn't seem wise to move away until she was certain her legs would hold her up this time. The Boy Wonder stared down in concern at the girl in his arms, but the moment he locked eyes with amethyst ones, his breath caught in his throat and his heart raced against his chest.

_'Say something, Robin!'_ He hissed to himself. _'You might not get another chance like this...'_ He gulped. Of all the girls to fall in love with, it had to be Raven. He didn't want to be too forward but being too vague would just annoy her or possibly push her away. Wording was everything. _'Oh man.'_ What if she doesn't share his feelings? Being rejected... it sounded so devastating to him.

There came a noise from behind him. The door to the infirmary whooshed open and in stepped Starfire. She froze upon seeing the odd sight in front of her, and for a moment she was at a loss for words. Being Robin's girlfriend came with a little more possessiveness (not that she ever lacked in that department when it came to the leader) and that included not wanting any girl near Robin. But it wasn't a normal girl occupying his arms, it was _Raven._ That's probably why her anger didn't appear. She considered Raven her best girl friend, they've bonded a lot since the team's assembly. Everyone cared for each other, they were all so close, and she remembered what Robin and Raven have been through together. It's only natural that they'd be very close.

Despite everything though, a pinch of jealousy escaped to irritate her feelings. Robin's heart sunk as he watched an array of emotions pass over the alien's face as she remained quiet. He didn't know what to say or how she saw the peculiar scene. So far, with the recent events, he hadn't really thought about how he was going to deal with Starfire. All he knew was that he needed to do something soon.

Starfire then concluded that it was nothing to worry about, and smiled. "I am sorry friends. I believe I have come at a bad time. I will return later." She said apologetically and backed out of the room to disappear into the hallway.

A heavy silence filled the air in the now very warm room. Failing to respond, Robin continued staring at the empty space Starfire occupied seconds earlier, guilt weighing heavy on his heart. Luckily, Raven spoke up to diffuse the awkward situation when she was done processing what just occurred. "I think I can stand now."

Her voice brought him back as she tried to steady herself in his arms. "Are you sure?"

"I can do it." Answering softly, she lifted herself and put her entire weight on her own two feet. Not but two seconds later did her knees wobble, feeling like jell-o, and she began to sway. Robin was there again.

"You need more rest, Raven. Cyborg will have my head if he sees you out of bed so soon." He pointed out, helping her back onto the bed. For a while now, Raven had been observing his expressions and reading his emotions that he probably didn't realize he was showing. He appeared conflicted and that's why she remained quiet.

Wishing relationships could be easy, Robin searched for a distraction, anything to keep him from her eyes. They always saw right through him. After Raven, he was the most guarded member of the team who put extra effort into making sure it stayed that way. But she never fell for any of it; she always got through whether he admitted it or not. Guess it comes second nature to the 'master' of self-guarding.

"Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, already knowing the answer she'd give him. That's when he noticed blood on the inside of her wrist.

"Rae, you're bleeding." He reached for a sanitizing wipe as Raven looked down. _'Oops.'_

"You're not exactly suppose to just pull out an IV you know." He lightly scolded. Instead of handing it to her so she could clean it up, he proceeded to gently dab and wipe the blood away himself. For a moment, she stared at him in confusion as it disagreed with his current emotional status. Then it hit her. How could she have been so blind?* How could she have let herself be so naive?

_'Raven, you idiot...'_ The whole time that she'd been forcing down her growing feelings towards the Boy Wonder, there was a small space in the corner of her mind that kept whispering "what if." What if there was something more in the looks that he sent her, more in the tones of his voice, more in the protective actions, more in the bond they already shared? Perhaps she let herself hope a little too much. Yes, too much.

She witnessed Robin's reacted to Starfire when he realized what they must've looked like to her. His entire demeanor fell and it now radiated guilt. Guilt with a side of sadness. These recent events have seriously been cutting into the time those two could be spending together, and Robin must be resenting that. Oh, she prayed he didn't resent her.

_'He loves her. He'll always love her. And that's how it's suppose to be.'_ These thoughts were difficult to stomach. Difficult to accept. But she knew what she had to do. She quietly gathered as much courage as she could and then took a deep breath.

Raven lightly grabbed his wrist. "Robin, go after her."

He glanced up when she touched him, then her words froze him. His eyes grew ever so slightly as he searched for a response.

Raven continued, "she's been worried for hours. Tell her everything's okay."

"I... but Raven..." He stammered. Searching her eyes for an explanation he only found resolve.

"I'm fine now. Cyborg will check up on me. She needs you." Nothing on the outside tipped Robin off to the emotional war that was raging beneath the surface. Raven had already wiped her mind clean, her feelings pulled under control in an attempt to cover it all up. She knew Robin could pick up on them, so she tried with everything she had to keep them from seeping out.

It seemed to be working when Robin failed to argue back. "I guess you're right." He said slowly, obviously struggling with something. _'Does she really want me to leave?'_

"Are you sure, Raven?" Just in case. He really needed to discuss things with Starfire, but the last time he left Raven alone he almost lost her.

"I'm sure." A statement without feeling. Robin considered it a moment longer and then succumbed to her advice. So he stood up and began to walk to the door.

"If you need me, for anything, just call."

Raven nodded and watched with a slowly breaking heart as he hesitantly exited the infirmary. She stared deep in thought at the opposite wall. No amount of powers could quell the barely contained emotions, no amount of meditation could block it out and nothing can reverse the damage. _'That's what you get for opening up to hope.'_ At that moment, the corners of her eyes grew fuzzy and irritated and she reached up to feel the problem.

_'When did I...?'_ She gasped in disbelief, but the evidence on the ends of her fingers revealed that she wasn't crying because she felt like an outcast, or because the end of the world was happening, or because she felt betrayed by a close friend... But because she just had to let go of the most important person to ever exist in her life.

_'Love... you were wrong. I'll never become you.'_

**Not much action in this chapter, but plenty of drama. Let me know if you liked it!**


	15. Chapter 15: The Turning Tide

**Yes, I see how long i've kept you all waiting, shame on me blah blah blah sorry, my motivation for this story has dwindled a bit, but I promise it will get finished. Thank you all for being patient with me. Almost done!**

Chapter 15: The Turning Tide

"Starfire! Wait up!"

The beautiful alien stopped just feet from her bedroom door and turned on Robin with round innocent eyes. "Is there something wrong, Robin?"

"Actually... Star..." He paused, running a hand through black tresses, unable to create a decent way of finishing that sentence. What correct order of words could make this alien understand feelings his own human brain failed to comprehend?

"Star... about what happened back there-"

"It's okay, Robin. You were merely being the friend. I understand why you've been spending more time with Raven."

He habitually rubbed the back of his neck and gave her a sympathetic look. Did she?

"It's not just because i'm her leader. Look, Star, this isn't... but lately... I think... for a while now i've..."

Would it kill his tongue to make one single coherent sentence, because it was surely causing further confusion. And then the words tumbled out all at once.

"Star, I don't think you and I should continue being more than friends."

The alien's face tred to decipher his meaning for a moment, and then altogether fell. Robin cringed.

"You no longer wish to be my boyfriend?"

He could only shake his head sadly.

"Why?"

It was bad enough confessing to how he felt, but to give an explanation on why was entirely different. _'C'mon Star, don't make me say it...'_

Through his hesitation, she decided to guess. "Have I not been acting the way an earth girl-who-is-a-friend must act?"

"No, that's not-"

"Forgive me if we have not done more of the hanging-out or going on the dates, for the past few days have been hectic, and I did not wish to disturb you any further than you-"

"Star, no, it has nothing to do with that."

The alien paused to consider. "Then..." She dared to voice only what observation had pieced together in her mind, and even as the question slipped her lips, it sounded incredible absurd. "Is it because of Raven?" It was a far stretch and Robin would surely agree.

However, the Boy Wonder tried opening his mouth only to allow no sound to escape, so he closed it, and then tried swallowing the huge lump stuck in his throat.

To Starfire, his silence was a shocking affirmative. "Does she have something to do with our breaking-up?"

Robin nearly choked in struggling to answer while she watched him with sad piercing eyes He was failing miserably at this.

"I... i'm not sure... I don't know... I think so."

She closed her emerald eyes again to take a steadying breath, her hands balled into fists unknowingly. They were a pair from the beginning, best friends from the moment the team was formed, and harbored feelings for each other from the moment they kissed upon her chaotic arrival to earth.

It was believed by everyone, including herself, that one day, Robin and her would be official and someday be joined in a beautiful union. He was the first human being she ever trusted with her life, the first she ever kissed, and now the first to break her heart.

He was letting her go. She was losing him to the first female she ever trusted. At one point, during an infiltration of the tower, Raven and herself accidentally switched bodies for an entire day and ultimately worked together to save the team. Though it was a remarkable experience that deepened their relationship, there were a few things that didn't go unnoticed. It should've raised questions that very day, but being the lovable non-confrontational type against her best friends, they were pushed aside.

No wonder she kept feeling Robin's presence through Raven's subconscious. During those hours his image kept flashing through her mind, but at the time forgot about the bond they shared. She never understood how deep it ran between them, until now.

"Star?"

The alien turned away quickly and the door to her room slid open.

"I wish to be alone." She said dejectedly. Robin reached out in a habitual attempt to consolidate his teammate whether he was the source of pain or not, but Starfire anticipated this.

"I wish to be alone!" The door slid shut to separate them.

"Starfire, wait!" He grasped the sides of the door and had to stop himself from barging in. As an avid problem solver, it ached throughout his body the fact that he _was_ the problem in this scenario. He never meant to hurt her and silently promised to beg for forgiveness until it was given.

"I'm sorry." It took several more moments before the team leader slowly retreated back to his room with more on his mind than ever before.

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Raven took a few breaths to calm the nerves that shot up when Starfire left. Nerves that pinched with jealously, anger, and guilt.

In her mind, Robin going after Starfire just proved that his feelings for the green-eyed beauty were still fresh and strong. And Raven kicked herself hard for allowing her mind to tell her heart to take a chance, and allowing her heart to tell her mind that she even stood a chance.

_"…you're actually the most hopeful person I've ever met."_

_'I hoped for too much.'_

The empath tucked her knees under her chin despite the pain and continued to space out until someone came through the infirmary door.

"Hey Raven. How you feelin'?" It was Cyborg, much to her relief. He was a welcomed distraction.

The half robot gave a small smile before checking the machines for their reports. When everything checked out, he gave a satisfactory nod and took a seat on the end of the bed.

Raven failed to reply to his previous question, but it didn't take a psychologist to analyze her emotions.

He sighed before saying, "I know that things right now are tough, but we'll get through this Rae. We've gone through worse things before haven't we?"

Pausing for a response he searched her eyes that were staring at the pale floor.

"I mean, we went through the end of the world together. And if that can't stop us, than I don't know what can."

Raven appreciated his soft words, but it all meant nothing. "Cyborg… this is different." She whispered.

"Rae, there have been a few times where I almost lost hope that we weren't going to make it out alive. Plenty of moments where I saw my life flash before my eyes, but we all made it."

He leaned forward to lightly touch her hand, more so to get her to finally look at him. When they reluctantly flickered towards his, he held them there to further enunciate his next words.

"Robin has never led us astray. Slade may have gotten the better of us a few times in the past, but we will _never_ let him win."

The flourescents were beginning to burn her eyes... or were they tearing up? Raven squeezed them shut. Unfortunately, Cyborg mistook this as a gesture of pain to which he rescanned her vitals and went on a rant of questions concerning her current state of health. And she let him, for just a moment before finally getting his attention once again.

"How's Beastboy?"

Cyborg's face softened, not all minding the diverting question. "He's hanging in there. But I think he feels useless."

"Useless?" She looked away, pondering. Then repeated, "useless."

"Rae?"

"He's wrong." Cyborg watched confusedly when the girl pulled her chin to her knees and gripped the sheets. "I've become useless without my powers. I'm the weak link of the team."

Instantly, there were a million reasons Cyborg came up with as to why her statement was false but he barely had a chance to debate back when she cut him off.

"Thank you Cy. Really. But please... I want to be alone." She couldn't look up. Seeing the caring brotherly look in his face wouldn't help the weighing guilt growing in the pit of her stomach. This would be the perfect time to meditate, to organize her thoughts and make peace with her emotions, but without her powers, the only thing left to do was be alone and pray for tranquility.

The half robot, knowing an argument with the empath always proved futile, nodded his head, and without another word slowly retreated from the room, wishing his state-of-the-art technology could come up with the perfect comforting solution.

With the room empty of all life except hers, Raven began breathing exercises as well as lightly chanting her personal mantra, desperately blocking any images of an onyx-haired boy.

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Robin was restless. His head sported a massive migraine that seemed to reach all the way down to his boots but he couldn't rest. He knew he needed it, they all needed it, but sleeping somehow seemed too soft of an action to take under current circumstances.

So the young leader headed for the makeshift computer room where even hours of hopeless researching would made him feel better.

The screen was awakened from sleep mode and a cup of freshly made coffee set down as Robin settled in for a long night. Yet, despite his best efforts, his mind could not shake away the image of a certain dark teammate.

"Concentrate." He shook his head to force his mind to clear and fixed his eyes hard on the screen. He had to find a way to stop thinking about her while trying to find a way to save her from the hands of Slade.

_'Slade...' _The very thought of the masked man nearly sent him on a rampage, but Cyborg wouldn't appreciate a room full of broken electronics that he'd be forced to build from scratch once again.

Robin leaned back in the chair to take a calming breath in order to slow down the numerous scenarios vividly portraying him defeating Slade in not-so-heroic ways. That criminal deserved nothing more than death, but even that wasn't enough because he wanted- needed him to suffer and suffer greatly.

These thoughts were provoking a harsh reaction from the leader, so he leapt from his seat and commenced a ritual pacing. But in his haste, his side collided with the desk, causing a few books and miscellaneous objects to fall and clatter on the floor. At this rate, he probably would've ignored the mess, but a silver glimmer caught his attention.

Robin leaned down to remove a folder half concealing the silver object with its contents. He picked it up and held it between two fingers delicately, turning it over and over with a scrutinizing expression. It was some kind of disc, almost like-

He gasped. _'From the H.I.V.E explosion!'_

He had spent hours upon hours looking for it when it mysteriously went missing soon after the attack, and yet, there it was! He speculated one of the Titans, _Beastboy,_ absentmindedly stuck it in a random spot and forgot all about it. The corners of Robin's mouth lifted into a smile. The lucky find made him feel victorious and more hopeful than he had been all night.

With renewed energy, the boy wonder sat back down and inserted the disc.

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Cyborg entered the kitchen after leaving the infirmary, holding a craving for breakfast despite it being close to midnight. After preparing a staggering stack of waffles soaked in melted butter and syrup, he figured another team member would be starving as well, and he prepared a small plate of cooked tofu and veggies.

A few minutes later, the door to Beastboy's room slid open to reveal a half robot trying to balance several plates on both arms.

"Knock knock! I brought dinner." He sang. "Well, don't just sit there, come and help me!"

Beastboy jumped up and took his plate with a grateful look upon seeing what it held. He turned to thank his friend but Cyborg was busy scarfing down his waffles one large forkful at a time. So he sat down, a small smile still on his face, and silently ate.

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Starfire sat against her pink fluffy pillows, expression melancholic, with one arm holding an alien worm that was busy drooling everywhere. She had been angry at first, ready to throw Tamaranian insults at the titan leader and very nearly destroying her room. But the room had been surprisingly spared, as was Robin. No matter what he could do to her, Starfire could never find it in her heart to degrade or humiliate him.

Next came the sorrows of being rejected, the incessant asking of _'why'_ and _'how,'_ the self-degredation and memories on replay. Then came bittersweet acceptance. She loved Robin enough to merely desire his happiness, and if that meant not being his _girl_, well, she would have to live with it.

Yet, uncertain of how she could deal with seeing Robin with another woman- much less Raven- she realized that she loved the dark titan very much, and tried to convince herself their friendship would still last. She truly hoped.

But now, right now, she needed time to deal, time to heal, and accept. She was determined not to let this come between any of them.

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Robin leaned forward eagerly while the computer swallowed the disc. They were finally getting somewhere! Whatever information, secrets, or codes were embedded in it he'd figure it out with Cyborg's decrypting abilities.

The computer made a small sound, as if it were uploading something but the screen remained the same blue screen saver. No files were showing up, no pictures, no documents. Nothing.

He tapped it twice. It could be frozen.

"I thought Cyborg fixed all of this." He pulled out his communicator to call said teammate when something finally happened. The blue screen was now pitch black. With the communicator still in his left hand, Robin reached to restart it completely. But before he had a chance, an image appeared and then he froze.

Surrounded by darkness, a familiar yet blank mask appeared as if it were a computer icon filling up most of the screen. It didn't do anything for a few seconds, and then a humming sound began emanating from it, soft at first until it reached a disturbing pitch that had the leader move back a few feet. Then the computer and monitor began to smoke and crackle like they were being fried from the inside.

Then suddenly it stopped and the icon disappeared along with the lights of the room. The hairs on the back of Robin's neck stood on end when he began to hear the mechanical shut down of the tower's main generator. It took seconds, and then all was eerily quiet.

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Cyborg had just been about to exit the kitchen after dropping off dirty dishes when the lights flickered for a moment until blowing out completely.

"Aww man! I just fixed the power!" His communicator beeped.

"Cyborg, are you there?"

He popped up his shoulder flashlight and walked towards the living room door. "I'm here. What happened?"

Robin kept a good distance from the smoking computer, a flashlight in one hand and the communicator in the other. "I'm not sure. I found the disc, but it destroyed the computer. There was nothing on it."

Cyborg didn't like the sound of that. "Discs just don't go blowing up computers unless they were made** to do so. Are you sure you saw nothing?"

Robin gritted his teeth. "Slade's face appeared right before it fried and the power failed."

To Cyborg, it suddenly felt as if someone had dropped a ten ton boulder in the pit of his stomach.

"Robin... I think you just uploaded a virus."

Robin sucked in a breath. Since when could Slade create a virus that surpassed Cyborg's most technologically advanced systems?

"I'm coming to you, I have to see exactly what happened." The half robot slammed his communicator shut and tried heading towards the computer room. He didn't get far when the door remained closed when he got near. His fist collided with it, hoping to kick it into gear, but nothing happened. There was a small panel to the side that could be opened and manually operated but when he opened it, the wires had been completely fried. It didn't make sense.

The tower had one main power source able to light an entire city, and everything had a complex integrated system connected to it, right down to the power opening doors. He had it set up so that if something did shut down, every system would still be left with enough power to operate efficiently for at least 48 hours until full power was restored. The doors should be working.

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Robin tried to examine the broken computer, but the smell of melted wires and hardware started to become potent to the point where stepping out for a few minutes seemed like a good idea until Cyborg arrived.

He turned around and came up to the door, fully expecting it to open but actually collided with it when it refused.

After several more failed attempts to get it open, including trying to manually override it- which he found to be burnt to a crisp like the computer-, the leader couldn't hold back his frustration any longer. He flipped the communicator open again.

"Cyborg! I can't get out, the doors are stuck. The panels are-"

"Yeah, I know. It's the same here."

"Uh, hey guys?" Beastboy's voice cut through the communicator. "It's dark and my door won't open."

Cyborg had to roll his eyes. "You can change shapes. Shift into something small enough to squeeze through."

"Heh, right." Beastboy chuckled.

Another voice broke through. "Friends, what has happened to the lights?"

"Starfire!" Robin quickly spoke, temporarily forgetting their previous exchange. "Can you get out of your room?"

There was a small pause before the alien responded in a puzzling tone, "I cannot. What is happening?"

He didn't have a chance to answer when a very loud ground shaking explosion ripped through the tower. The communicators went fuzzy for a moment. The automatic sprinkler system Cyborg had just reinstalled began to go off throughout the parts of the tower that were still intact.

When the communicators cleared up, Robin was the first to yell out. "Is everyone okay!?"

Everyone, except Raven- which the leader knew her communicator was currently not in her possession- sounded off.

"Does anyone know where that came from?" His thoughts were completely focused on one person.

The others responded with a negative except for Cyborg who was busy checking the panel on his left arm. "I'm checking satellite scanners for the source."

Robin remained quiet, panic quickly rising.

"It says it's coming from the-" Cyborg choked. The satellite outlines displaying on his arm couldn't be lying. "It's coming from the sick bay!"

Robin stared down into his communicator, unsure of what he had just heard. An instant numbing sensation flooded his entire body. His worst fears were happening at this very moment, and once again, he was no where near Raven. Panic turned into pure desperation.

"Titans! GO!"

That simple command brought them all into motion, each of them using their skills and powers to blast through the door or a hole in the wall. Robin took several steps back, reached for a few disc grenades and launched them at the wall. They successfully created a smoking hole big enough for him to jump through. Racing down the hallway he could hear Cyborg's sonic blasts and Starfire's star bolts and somewhere close by came a feral growl and a green cheetah sprinted to join him.

Robin wished he had wings; the adrenaline wasn't enough.

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After Cyborg left, Raven laid back down into a somewhat comfortable position. It was hard putting pressure on her head even with the small amount of medicine running through the IV. She wanted to meditate, to find a way to open some kind of communication to Myra. She wasn't going to be useless.

Minutes past, long minutes and Raven still hadn't found even a slight link to clutch on to. It felt as if something was in the way; an impermeable barrier that had not been there before.

The one thing she knew for sure, was that Myra was still alive. Alive and in the hands of Slade.

Her tired eyes cracked open to glance at the time. An hour to midnight. It's hard to believe how much everything has changed in just a short amount of time. Days felt like years to Raven. At this point, she'd do anything to get her powers back.

_'Azar, why have you forsaken me?'_

Then, as if in response, the infirmary plunged into darkness taking every beeping analyzing machine with it. There were no more sounds, but the air felt dangerously charged. Raven had that awful feeling that something terrible was about to follow. Her amethyst eyes danced around the room searching for any kind of reprieve from the darkness, noting how this had become one of the rare cases in which she preferred light.

_'Where are the others?'_ She didn't have her communicator and that only added to the vulnerable feeling.

Not wanting to wait for rescue, the empath cautiously slipped from the bed, removed any hardware inserted in her arms, and began to move slowly towards where she knew the door to be.

Her feet barely moved before a blinding white flash flooded into the room and a body-crushing blast from something hot erupted everywhere. Raven was practically lifted off the floor and hurled to the opposite wall.

The scorching bright light quickly faded from her eyes as darkness raced against her consciousness until it finally consumed her.

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"Blast it Cyborg!"

Robin was referring to the disabled door leading into the infirmary. Without hesitation, the half robot released his sonic boom and a large opening was formed. They hardly wait to let the dust settle when Robin, unleashing his bo staff, leaps into action.

"Raven!"

The others followed swiftly behind, spreading out into defensive stances training tells them to do.

Robin coughed a few times from the thick cloud of ash and smoke smothering the entire room, but it wasn't completely dark. A bright orange glow surrounded them on all three sides and it was hot. He called out again and took a few small steps forward only to feel rubble under his boots. The water sprinklers were doing very little to subside the fires, but it was enough to keep it from spreading.

It resembled a war zone.

Swallowing fear that had begun to freeze the leader to the ground, knowing that the blast might not have let anything live, Robin pushed forward to the side where the beds were suppose to lay. "Spread out and search. Be careful," came his stiff words.

Slade could be pursuing an ambush, Raven could be critically injured and unable to speak or -in the second worst case scenario, Raven being dead number one- Slade has already gotten to her and she's too weak to fight back. Which means they'd be too late.

The Teen Titan leader only wanted one scenario.

Somewhere from his left, Beastboy spoke in a broken voice, "everything's destroyed. There's no way anyone-"

"Don't say it!" Robin hissed almost beggingly, and shivered. He couldn't see the changeling at this moment but glared in his general direction anyway. They can't afford to give up.

Cyborg had went ahead to the right, careful to keep his balance over the piles of rubble. He scanned the area for any sign of life. There were still only four people occupying the room. His stomach dropped and he switched modes. It scanned again for any indication of life recently terminated. There would still be traces of heat but it kept malfunctioning due to interference from the fire.

Still determined, he moved up. The air and smoke were being sucked out towards one area. He took several more steps through the now dissipating smoke when a long strong arm whipped across his metal chest, hindering his movements. Following the arm up, Cyborg realized it was Starfire who had stopped him so suddenly. She was pointing down. He sucked in a breath as he was just inches from the jagged edges of the gaping hole left from the explosion.

"Thanks," he breathed. "I owe you one."

Starfire gave a small smile before backing both of them up to a more secure position. Cyborg glanced down hoping and dreading what his technology may pick up. He anticipated Robin's question before Robin himself had the time to voice it.

"My scanners aren't showing anything. No signs of life, but no signs of death either. I don't think she's here."

In one swift move, Robin delve his fist into a large chunk of debris, shattering it to pieces. He let out a cry of anger. "How could we lose her!"

The others fell silent. Each feeling the weight of failure, each silently apologizing. That was until someone gasped and Robin's head shot towards Starfire who had reached out of the hole to retrieve something. When she brought it back in, it was covered in a ripped piece of cloth.

She walked slowly towards Robin, not once being able to look away from the object in her hand. The rest stared as well, their breath caught in their throats. Robin reached and took it gingerly from her. He rubbed a thumb over the familiar black fabric of Raven's leotard.

For the second time in his entire life, Robin collapsed to his knees in crushing despair for losing the same person he nearly lost a year ago.

The others looked away, unable to witness their fearless leader having been brought down to a level so few have seen. No one was sure what to do or say at that moment and the only sounds were the crackling flames of a dying blaze and the winds of a brisk night.

Deep down, the boy wonder was struggling hard. That dark place, where no one- not even Raven- had gone, that deep dark pit created by the deaths of his parents years ago, was now threatening to surface. Slade had pull every dark corner of Robin out, except for this one. Suddenly, he was fed up with it all.

He glanced up at each of the remaining teammates with eyes now fixed with bitter determination. Raven was not dead. She was not consumed by the explosion nor did she blindingly fall to her death. Slade had taken her. That was the only explanation he was willing to focus on.

Raven was not dead.

In the next moment, Robin had disappeared. It took almost a minute before Cyborg realized that the room was now leaderless, and went to his communicator immediately. "Robin, where'd you go?"

Static came the answer. He tried again, but nothing. The half robot cursed under his breath and shoved the communicator back in place. His scanners revealed that the raven-haired man was just leaving the garage on nothing else but his beloved t-cycle.

"Beastboy, Star, we have to go after him. Star lift me up." He quickly commanded, and the alien didn't hesitate to comply as Beastboy took on the shape of an eagle and all three flew through the hole into the night. They reached Robin in less than a minute and flew up along side so they were level with him on the bridge leading into Jump City. The driver of the t-cycle didn't acknowledge them.

"Robin!" Cyborg shouted to his left. "You have to stop, we need to think about everything." Robin's eyes remained dead set ahead of him.

"I know you're going after Slade, but we need a plan first!" He was hoping logic would reach him, to help start the process that Robin was so famous at. They couldn't just follow a missing lead, they still had no idea where Slade's hideout was, nor any information beyond that. The remaining Titans were flying blind.

"Robin!" Cyborg bellowed again to get his attention, but the young leader still refused to make eye-contact.

"I'm going to find Raven! That's the plan!" He finally answered with so much unwavering determination that Cyborg knew that no force on earth could stop Robin, the Boy Wonder, now.

But he had a duty to at least try and reason with him for everyone's sake. "Robin, we don't even know where to start looking."

"I don't care."

The bridge was coming to an end where the first of the city's lit skyscrapers towered above everything else. Robin revved the engine to gain more speed.

"I have to find her! I'll turn Jump City upside down if I have to!"

**Hope that redeemed me a bit. Apologize for spelling errors and what not. Heart's not really into this as much but I try. So now Slade has Myra and Raven, and he's definitely planning something big for them before the night is over. It will really start to tie together in these last 2-3 chapters. Thank you everyone!**


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